Isla

The beloved titular statue of Marija Bambina in Senglea is both a national treasure and a centrepiece of devotion. Housed in the Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, this wooden figure dates back almost 400 years. Tradition holds that the statue was discovered floating in the sea amid the wreckage of a galleon, before being gifted to the parish in the early 17th century. Since then, it has become one of Malta’s most venerated Marian images, carried with deep reverence during Senglea’s famous September festa.