A treasury of chapels dedicated to women saints in Gozo

Abstract

This dissertation traces the devotion which the Gozitan Christian community tendered towards women Saints from the sixteenth century onwards. Since this veneration was shown especially by raising chapels and churches in their honour, the reports of the Apostolic and Pastoral Visits, performed by various Bishops of Malta and Gozo after 1575, had to be examined. As a result of this study, for the first time, a large number of these chapels have been brought to light. Moreover, this led to the discovery of many different sites in which these chapels were situated. This work also delineates the development of every chapel. This shows that the ups and downs of every chapel very often coincided with the economic and social situation of Gozo.