Church of Our Lady of Victories (Senglea Basilica)

A beautiful church that commemorates the victory of the Maltese in the Great Siege of 1565

The Parish Church of Senglea, dedicated to Our Lady of Victories, was probably built in 1580 to commemorate the Great Siege of 1565. It was consecrated in 1743, but it was destroyed in January 1941 during an air-raid, but was rebuilt by 1956.  Pope Pius VI declared the church a “collegiate insignis” in 1786, while in 1921 it was given the title of Basilica by Pope Benedict XV.

The most valuable work of art in this church in Senglea is a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that is encased in silver and kept in the last chapel on the left of the nave. In front of the church, there is a memorial dedicated to those who lost their life throughout the Second World War.