Ta’ Pinu Basilica - Għarb, Gozo - Slender Bell Tower Against the Blue Sky

The elegant freestanding bell tower of Ta’ Pinu Basilica near Għarb, its clock and ornate pinnacle rising prominently against the Gozitan sky.

This photograph captures the tall and remarkably slender bell tower of Ta’ Pinu Basilica near Għarb on the island of Gozo. Rising almost independently beside the main sanctuary, the limestone tower is divided into several architectural stages, with narrow openings drawing the eye upwards towards the prominent clock, open belfry and finely detailed pointed pinnacle. Its warm stonework stands dramatically against the deep blue sky, while trees and part of the richly decorated basilica frame the tower on the right. The National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu developed around a much older rural chapel that became an important place of pilgrimage following the events associated with Karmela Grima in 1883. Growing numbers of pilgrims eventually led to construction of the present sanctuary, designed by Maltese architect Andrea Vassallo in a Neo-Lombard Romanesque style. Building began in 1920 and the church was blessed and opened in 1932. The bell tower was completed in 1934, becoming one of the most recognizable architectural features of Ta’ Pinu and a prominent landmark within the surrounding Gozitan countryside.