Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Madonna tas-Silg), Marsaxlokk

Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Madonna tas-Silg), Marsaxlokk

This small church was rebuilt in 1833, funded by Marchioness Angiolina Muscat Cassia Dorell , on an earlier one of 1650. It overlooks Marsaxlokk bay and was mostly frequented by the farmers and fishermen and is under the custody of the Carmelite Order.

Tas-Silġ (Maltese for ‘of Snows’), as an area, is one of the most ancient religious sites in Malta. Its origin dates back to the prehistoric (temple) era. This Church was built close to where a Byzantine temple existed dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows is ancient. The devotion originates from Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major) in Rome. Pope Liberius (352-366) saw, in a dream, the Esquiline Hill covered with snow in August, when the summer heat is at its peak. The amazing thing was that after this strange dream, this event really happened. A church dedicated to our Lady was built on the land covered by snow. This explains the origin of the Latin title Sancta Maria ad Nives — Our Lady of the Snows.

Today, only some traces of the pagan temple (and Byzantine basilica) at Tas-Silġ remain.