Our Lady Of The Grotto

Il-Madonna tal-Għar

Useful Information

Location:	Triq Il-Marfa, Mellieħa. (35.9602172, 14.3620406)
Open:	All year Mon-Sat 9-15. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave Cave Church
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Our Lady Of The Grotto, Triq il-Kappillan Magri, Mellieħa, Northern Region, MLH 2317, Malta, Tel: +356-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

60	becomes a Christian site after St Paul and St Luke shipwrecked on Malta.
402	consecrated as a church by some bishops on their way to a church council.
540	consecrated by bishops accompanying the Byzantine general Belisarius during a stop in Malta.
1091	consecrated by bishops accompanying the Norman Count Roger I during his invasion of Malta.
1373	visited by the King of Sicily Frederick III.
1408	visited by the King of Sicily Martin I.
1432	visited by the King of Sicily Alfonso.
1436	first written mention by Bishop Senatore de Mello.
1468	visited by the Viceroy of Sicily Lope Ximénez de Urrea y de Bardaixi.
1470	pilgrimage to the church after Malta had suffered from three years of drought.
1490	visited by the Viceroy of Sicily Fernando de Acuña y de Herrera.

Description

The Il-Madonna tal-Għar (Our Lady Of The Grotto) is a small cave church with the oldest Marian shrine in Malta. According to local lore, the site is the place is where Christianity was established in Malta. Before the cave had been a place of worship for the nymph Calypso. When St Paul and St Luke shipwrecked on Malta in 60 AD, they came to this cave and established a Christian church in the cave. According to legend, the cave was consecrated as a church by St Paul himself or by St Publius. St Luke is said to have painted a fresco depicting the Virgin Mary on the cave’s rock face.

Other versions state that the cave was consecrated as a church in 402 AD by some bishops who were on their way to a church council. Or it was consecrated in 540 AD by bishops accompanying the Byzantine general Belisarius during a stop in Malta. Or it was consecrated by bishops accompanying the Norman Count Roger I during his invasion of Malta in 1091. Obviously, the history of the church is not very well documented. There is a record that the consecration was commemorated by a Greek inscription and seven crosses. Another document states that this greek inscription still existed in 1540, but it was later destroyed and doesn’t exist any more. The seven crosses were embellished in 1620, and they exist until today.

We used the common name of the site, and that's how it is signposted. The entrance is on Triq Il-Marfa, a rather decent door in a wall followed by a long staircase leading down into the valley to the cave entrance. A little further uphill is a real church which is named Santwarju tal-Madonna tal-Mellieħa (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa). This is actually a younger church on top of the cave church, on Pjazza Ġwanni Pawlu II (Pope John Paul II Square). This church is not a cave church, it was built because the cave church is quite small. If you accidentally came to this cave, cross the square and leave it on the southern side, then turn left to find the cave church.

Overlooking the town there is: The Shrine of Our Lady of Mellieħa - the Grotto. A descent of about 70 steps leads to an underground spring in the heart of the cave. The water is said to have miraculous powers healing the diseases of children. It houses an amazing icon of the Madonna attributed by tradition to St Luke, and all around the rock walls are covered with votive gifts.

Text by Tony Oldham (2002). With kind permission.