Gozo Album

A photograph by Guido Stilon taken within the Cittadella in Victoria in 1963.

An interesting moment captured through one of the Cittadella’s old archways, with another photographer taking a photo of her friend. In the background, an elderly man can be seen making his way up the steps, perhaps heading towards the Cathedral for daily Mass.

We do not know who the people pictured here are. Do you recognise any of them, or perhaps know more about the story behind this photograph?

Courtesy of Grace Cilia Vincenti & National Archives of Malta.

Taken around a century ago, this photograph by Michele Farrugia shows Gozo’s Law Courts before the excavation works that transformed Cathedral Square into how we know it today.

A proud day for Victoria, and for Gozo 🇲🇹

We rejoice at today’s news that Victoria has been selected as European Capital of Culture 2031, becoming the second Maltese city to receive the title following Valletta in 2018.

Congratulations to everyone who worked towards making Victoria 2031 a reality.

An old photograph of the Capuchin Convent and the Church of Our Lady of Graces in Victoria, situated on the outskirts of the city along the road leading towards Marsalforn.

Today, the Capuchin community celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Graces, known locally as il-Madonna tal-Grazzja.

The approach to the Cittadella in Victoria in 1929, as documented by E. A. Gouder.

A beautiful photograph by Michele Farrugia, better known as il-Badiku, showing the Parish Church of Munxar.

Today, the village celebrates the feast of its patron, Saint Paul. This year’s celebrations come at an unusual time, as the Munxar festa is normally held in May but was moved to September for 2026.

Our collection currently has relatively few photographs of Munxar, and we would love to add more of the village to the Gozo Album. If you have any old photographs of Munxar that you would like to share with us, we would be very happy to see them.

A fascinating aerial view of the Ġgantija Temples in Xagħra, captured in 1937.

Dating back more than 5,000 years, Ġgantija is among the earliest free-standing stone monuments in the world and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is festa day in Xagħra today, and indeed it was festa day when this photograph was taken over a century ago by Michele Farrugia, better known as il-Badiku.

The village celebrates the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, known locally as il-Bambina, with the titular statue seen here making its way through a packed Xagħra Square during the solemn procession.

The statue of Marija Bambina was made by the renowned firm Gallard et Fils in Marseille and dates to 1878. Almost a century later, on 2 September 1973, it was solemnly crowned in Xagħra Square by the then Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Nicholas J. Cauchi, with a gold crown designed by Gozitan artist Joseph Sagona.

More than a century since this photograph was taken, Xagħra once again gathers this evening, as it does every 8 September, to celebrate this important festa.

The date also holds a special place in Maltese history as Jum il-Vitorja, recalling three important events: the end of the Great Siege in 1565, the end of French rule in Malta in 1800, and Italy’s armistice with the Allies in 1943, marking the end of Italy’s hostilities against Malta and the Allies during the Second World War.

Photo courtesy of Ino Mario Borg.

1960s photo taken at Ramla Bay by Guido Stilon.

View more old photos of Gozo on www.gozoalbum.gov.mt 👈

The Cittadella photographed from a rather unusual angle, circa 1950s.

Beyond the terraced fields and rubble walls that then surrounded much of Victoria, the old fortified city rises prominently above the landscape.