GĦARB

Gharb means West and this typical old Gozitan village unsurprisingly lies in the West of the Island.

It started life as a small hamlet centuries ago. You can see its ancient roots in the centre of the village where some houses have fine example of decorated stone balconies. Gharb was created a parish in 1679, a move which gave impetus for the building of a new, baroque parish church. Built between 1699 and 1729, it has an elegant facade which has been compared with Borromini’s S. Agnese in Piazza Navona, Rome. This version is naturally a simpler interpretation of the style. The village square, so quintessentially Gozitan, has become the view on many a postcard. On the square is a fascinating folklore museum housing all sorts of memorabilia retelling the Islands’ rural history. Gharb lies in some of Gozo’s most delightful countryside, particularly at Dbiegi, the highest hill on the Island. Also at Dbiegi is a crafts village.

Within the limits of Gharb is the quaint Chapel of San Dimitri. According to legend, the first chapel was built on the cliff side by a woman whose son was freed from captivity by St. Demetrius. Also nearby is the Basilica ta’ Pinu, Malta’s pre-eminent shrine to the Virgin Mary. It was on this spot in 1883 that a local woman is believed to have heard the voice of the Virgin.