Il-Lunzjata Ta' Għawdex is the name of the latest publication that Mgr Karm Borg of Ta' Kerċem (Gozo) has just published. The book, which consists of seven chapters, is the fruit of many years of scholarly research and brings together the history of the small countryside chapel of the Annunciation that is to be found in the outskirts of Victoria, in the valley that bears the same name. The book focuses on the church but contains other interesting information about the prayer of the Angelus and the Marian cult attached to the solemnity of 25 March.

This book by Mgr Borg is of the utmost importance for the history of Gozo; strangely enough, although the church of the Lunzjata - as it is known by one and all - is of medieval origins, it had not yet attracted the attention of historians to the point of becoming the subject of an entire publication. Mgr Borg is to be lauded for this book. Having said this, Mgr Borg, being both the author of a number of historical books as well as rector of the church since 2008, was certainly the ideal person to provide us with a publication of this kind. He himself hails from the village of Ta' Kerċem which overlooks the valley and the church of the Annunciation. Besides having been born and bred in the area, Borg grew up in the vicinities of the church and a natural love for the place developed within him since childhood.

History is a favourite subject for Borg who served for many years as librarian of the diocesan seminary's library in Victoria. He has also written dozens of articles about his native Kerċem and about the history of the Church in Gozo. This book provides us with an outline of the history of the medieval church of the Annunciation which goes into detail and is set within the context of the local ecclesiastical milieu. After giving us a detailed sketch of the small church's history, Borg then describes the evolution of the liturgical solemnity of 25 March. The importance of this feast among the other Marian feasts of the Roman calendar is a theme that is discussed vividly in the book and this is definitely an aspect that will catch the attention of all those who are keen on Mariology.

Mgr Borg's Il-Lunzjata Ta' Għawdex is a book to be cherished since it covers not only the ecclesiastical history of the church cuddled by the cliffs that are to be found on one side of the valley but also provides the general reader with original information about the flora and fauna of the valley and the important role that the valley itself played at the time of the Knights of St John. The original photographs and pictures in the book make it a sumptuous publication and render the book all the more attractive.

Copies of the book can be obtained from the Kerċem local council or directly from the author via [email protected].

 

Fr Geoffrey G. Attard