St George's Basilica

Church

Church · Victoria, Malta 36.0440°N 14.2392°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on St George's Basilica

Best time

Late-day lightWarm on the limestone

Season

Summer festaOutdoor feast week

Access

Old quarter coreAlso called Ir-Rabat

Festa dates

When is the St George festa in Victoria, Gozo?

The outdoor festivities in the city are held during the week leading to the third Sunday of July. The liturgical feast of St George falls on 23 April. St George is the protector of Gozo and the patron saint of Victoria.

From the bus station

How far is St George's Basilica from Victoria bus station?

It is close. Victoria Bus Station is about four minutes on foot from the basilica, and the way runs through the narrow lanes of the oldest part of town.

Vs the cathedral

How is St George's Basilica different from the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Cittadella?

The cathedral stands inside the Cittadella walls and is famous for a ceiling painted to show the inside of a dome that was never built. St George's stands in the old quarter of the town. They are the two oldest active parish churches in Gozo.

Gozo's Golden Basilica stands in Victoria's oldest quarter, its marble walls overlaid with gilding and paintings. You come to see the wooden statue of St George, the island's patron saint.

What makes it special

Marble covers the whole interior, which is why the church is also called the Marble Basilica. Over it are mosaics and paintings of saints and biblical scenes.

Walk towards the high altar and its canopy of bronze and gold. The main attraction is the statue of St George, carved in wood by Pawlu Azzopardi in 1838.

Giovanni Battista Conti of Rome painted the ceiling and the dome. The St George altarpiece, a striking work, is by Mattia Preti.

The newest part is a Neo-Byzantine chapel. The church stands on the site of a pagan temple and was rebuilt several times, and the building you walk through today dates from the 1670s.

Visiting

The basilica sits in the town's oldest quarter, San Ġorġ tal-Ħaġar, inside a maze of narrow streets and alleys. To get to Victoria from Mġarr Harbour, take bus 301 or follow the road signs; the drive from the ferry is short.

This is a working parish church, with services through the morning and again in the evening. A directory of Malta's Mass times lists services here from 05:15 to a last one at 19:00, so expect a service under way at many hours of the day.

Tips

Make St George's Square your lunch stop on a day in Victoria. You can eat al fresco on the square itself, or take a rooftop table that looks straight across at the church.

For coffee instead, the cafés along and near Republic Street are a short stroll away.