Places of Interest in Qala - Immaculate Conception Chapel

The chapel of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.

Located in Triq il-Kuncizjoni between Qala and Hondoq Bay (Ħondoq ir-Rummien) in eastern Gozo, the chapel known as Tal-Hondoq is one of the earliest Marian shrines on the island and dates back to 1575.

Immaculate Conception Chapel, Qala

It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The feast is celebrated on the 8th December and the festa statue of the saint was sculptured in Marseilles by Gallard et Fils in 1887.

In the early 1650s, the chapel was enlarged, and in 1688 it became the parish church of the eastern part of Gozo, serving Nadur, Qala, and Għajnsielem. It remained so for about 12 years and served again as a parish church, this time just for Qala, from February 1872 to February 1889.

Between 1982 and 1988 the inside was gilded and refurbished. The main attraction is the altarpiece, attributed to Federico Barocci di Urbino, which shows God extending his special protection to the Immaculate Conception. The painting of the Virgin Mary was crowned on 1st August 1954.