The name of the St. Gregory Church relates to the statue of Pope Saint Gregory the Great that is situated in the middle of the church's square. The statue faces the Cathedral of Mdina, the old medieval capital in the centre of the island.
The church was used as part of the defences of the Hospitaller Knights of St John against the Turks.
In 1969, a secret passage was discovered in the church walls. Intended perhaps as a safe place for villagers when Żejtun was under attack by the enemy. These passages revealed the skeletal remains of some 80 people.
As from the 16th.Century a votive procession used to depart from all the parishes of Malta early in the day on foot and ended at this very church later in the morning. The procession still takes place nowadays albeit on a smaller scale, on the first Wednesday after Easter.
Photos by Choy Hong (Jasmine) Grech unless otherwise noted.
Video by Alfred & Jasmine Grech, Mosta, Malta
© jasalf5959
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