Gzira

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, known locally as Il-Karmnu, is one of the most revered Marian titles in the Catholic world. The devotion traces its origins to the 12th-century hermits who lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, dedicating themselves to the Virgin Mary as their spiritual protector. She later became the patroness of the Carmelite Order and is closely associated with the Brown Scapular, a symbol of protection and devotion. Gzira’s titular statue of Our Lady was crafted in Lecce, Italy, and brought to Malta in 1924. The statue was commissioned by Carmelo Pace as a gesture of gratitude after surviving a near-drowning, which he attributed to the Virgin’s intercession.