Gharb

History of Gharb

Gharb was created as a parish in 1679 when a new baroque parish church was built.  It had a very elegant façade which was compared to St. Agnes Church in Piazza Navona, in Rome.  

About Gharb

Gharb is a picturesque village in the western part of the island of Gozo. There are many beautiful properties for sale or rent in Gharb. Amongst such Malta properties for sale or rent are apartments, farmhouses as well as houses of character.  You can see the village’s ancient roots in the centre of the village where some houses have fine examples of decorated stone balconies.

You can see the village’s ancient roots in the centre of the village where you can see authentic village houses which have not changed through the years.  Some 400 families live in Gharb as the area of the village is only 14.3 sq kms.  Gharb is surrounded by two villages: San Lawrenz and Ghasri.  

During excavation works, pre-historic pottery was found. This means that people lived here between 3800-3630 B.C.  In the area of San Dimitri signs of cart ruts were found. Today, these are buried beneath the surface of the road.  Some people think that the Phoenicians used to live in Gharb on their way west.

After the Arabs took over the Maltese Islands, Arabic became the official language.  Some of the words used by the villagers today stem from the Arabic language.  About 80 years ago the people of Gharb used to wear the “kabozza” in the cold winter nights.  The Arabs introduced the “kabozza” to these islands and it became associated with the Gozitan village of Gharb. The old villagers of Gharb spoke the old and pure Maltese language.

What to See & Do In Gharb?

Here are some ideas of what to see and do in the locality of Gharb

Gharb Parish Church

The Parish Church in Gharb was built between 1699 and 1729 and it is dedicated to the visitation of Saint Mary to her cousin Saint Elizabeth. There are beautiful sculptures both in the interior and also on the exterior. The late Karmni Grima and Frenc tal-Gharb are two of its most renowned villagers.

Folklore Museum

The Folklore Museum lies in the village square.  This is an interesting museum housing different memorabilia which narrate the island’s rural history.

Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Village

Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Village is a centre for Gozitan arts and crafts.  Here you can watch artists work their Gozo lace, filigree, glass blowing and many other crafts.  You can also buy beautiful hand-made gifts.

San Dimitri Chapel

The Chapel of San Dimitri is found in the limits of Gharb.  The legend goes that there was an old woman who besieged Saint Dimitri to save her son from slavery. 

Saint Dimitri (the bishop-martyr) left his altar-piece on his flying stallion and soon brought back her son Matthew.  The chapel was built by the old woman to thank the saint for freeing her son from captivity.  The altarpiece can still be seen in the chapel.

Ta’ Pinu Basilica

This important shrine is located just before you approach the village of Gharb where a road forks to the right. This basilica is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu.  In 1883 a local woman heard the voice of the Virgin and since then, the site has been a place for pilgrimages, attracting several visitors annually.  The shrine was then built between 1920 and 1931. 

Ta’ Ghammar Hill, located directly across from the Ta’ Pinu Shrine, features a Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, made up of fourteen marble sculpture groups that lead to the summit. In addition, there are two minor museums associated with the Shrine. One holds the Karmni Grima Museum, which is the residence of the young rural lady who got a message from the Virgin Mary asking her to worship in the Shrine’s famous little chapel.