Mqabba is a town in the south of Malta, situated in the heart of a soft limestone area. The surroundings of the village is barren and stripped with quarries. Mqabba has around a quarter of the quarries in Malta.
With 3,295 residents, Mqabba has the characteristics of a typical Maltese village, with stillness prevailing in the small streets of the village. Mqabba was built around the Parish Church, the landmark of the village. The church is dedicated to the Assumption, with its feast being held every 15 August. The feast of Our Lady of Lilies (Madonna tal-Gilju) is celebrated on the third Sunday of June.
The two band clubs of the village are situated in the piazza. The village feasts are popular with the residents. Other feasts celebrated are the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Sorrows, Corpus Domini and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
Other landmarks in the village include chapels dedicated to the Lady of Sorrows, Saint Basil, Saint Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint John. Mqabba also has 139 cubic metres (4,909 cubic feet) of catacombs which were discovered in the 1860s.
The motto of the village is 'Non Nisi Per Ardua' which translates into 'Only with Ability'.
The importance of Mqabba is shown by the archaeological remains found in the vicinity. Extinct animals were found in quarries at "Ta` Kandja" and "Tax-Xantin". A sign that Neolithic people lived here was evident with the discovery of a cave found in a site known as "Bur Meghez". One of the most important discoveries in Mqabba is the Paleo Christian "Mintna Catacombs" found in Diamond Jubilee Square in 1860 by Dr. A. A. Caruana and Capt Strickland. The ritual table known as the "Agape" table dominates the whole structure of tombs. Archaeological details were studied by Mayr. Becker, Zammit and Bellanti.
Important structures include the Vincenti Tower.
The main church is dedicated to Assumption of Our Lady. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on the nearest Sunday to 8 December.
The titular statue found in the church, that of the Assumption of the blessed Mother of God, was made by Alessandro Farrugia in 1836 and was made similar to the statue of the Assumption which is found in Ghaxaq, made out of wood. The photograph shows the statue in its original form, as it was prior to 1928, when a new sarcophagus made of silver replaced the original wooden one seen in the picture. Apart from the sarcophagus, the statue itself has lost none of its characteristics.
The Assumption of Mary is celebrated on 15 August, and is also celebrated in Qrendi, Gudja, Ghaxaq, Mosta, Attard and Victoria (Gozo). It is all celebrated in the same day, as a tradition. (Wiki)
