Il-Bolla tal-Kolleġġjata tal-Għarb : oration delivered at Prof. Vella’s 2018 book launch

Abstract

…in praefato loco, qui inter ceteros dictae insulae Gaulos epulentissimus reputator, Instituta elegantis nobilisque sturctura existit…

‘In the above-mentioned location, renowned for its wealth among the rest of the so-named island of Gozo, there exists an elegant and noble structure…’ Verily do these words capture the devotion to, the love for, and also to the truth about the Parish Church of Għarb, dedicated to the Visitation of the Holy Virgin. And verily, it was this declaration of devotion, of a deep and heartfelt devotion, of His Holiness, Pope Clement XIV, who, in his fifth year of his pontificate, and to be precise, on the 20th of May 1774, elevated this temple to a Collegiate Church with the Bull Ex Beati Petri Cathedra, making it the first Collegiate Church on the island outside of the walls of Victoria. And it was this declaration of love, of a sacred love, that saw the fulfilment of the clergy’s and of the locals’ desire for a Canonical College to be established in this sacred place. And verily, it was this mighty truth that confirmed, once and for all, that which was held dearest by the people of Għarb, namely that their church was – and still is – a temple singular not only in the nobility of its liturgy, but also in its artistic elegance.