The statue of the Assumption made in Marseille, France, in 1922 has just been restored in time for Sunday's feast in Mġarr giving parishioners an extra reason to celebrate.
The statue, which cost £60 and 16 shillings, arrived in the rural village on April 18, in the same year it was made. Parishioners are so devoted they donated enough money for the restoration works, which were left in the hands of Pierre Bugeja, senior conservator-restorer from PrevArti.
The Madonna was last restored in 1958 but that intervention had altered the skin colour and the other hues including those of the drapery, according to Mr Bugeja.
"The statue is made of a mixture of fine plaster. The dirt accumulated over time also altered the colours while other damage was caused by mould and condensation. This, apart from the two broken fingers of the Madonna. The skin colour had also been altered by Raphael Bonnici Cali," he said.
"Going by today's restoration ethics, the earlier intervention had to be respected. The process started with cleaning, repairs and the removal of shellac from the gilding," Mr Bugeja added.
The latest conservation was commissioned by Mġarr parish priest, Canon Antoine Borg.
Investigations last February indicated the statue was hollow and the weight borne totally by its base. Although the structure was stable, a reversible metal structure was installed, as a preventive measure, at the base reaching as high as the head of the Madonna.
In tribute to the parishioners of the neighbouring village of Żebbiegħ and those of Mġarr, who forked out the money for the restoration, Canon Borg organised a pilgrimage from Żebbiegħ to Mġarr two weeks ago where 18 men, making up several groups, carried the statue.
"The parishioners have expressed a wish to have a complete revamp connected with the statue and to this end, a set of flower ornaments, known as ganutell which are made with silver and gold thread will be ordered," Canon Borg said.
"We will also be having brand new garb complete with girdle for the members of the confraternity who carry the statue," he added.
The girdle known as ċinglu is made of knotwork, which is a dying craft but a Franciscan nun has passed on the technique to a woman in Mġarr.
With a lot of pride evident in his voice, the parish priest said in just one weekend the parishioners contributed enough money to cover all the expenses involved in this overhaul.
During the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Duminka Zammit will be awarded a special memento for her generous contribution, including a set of silver candlesticks.
Also on Sunday, a handful of men, egged on by a crowd of parishioners, will meet by the side of the church where on the stroke of midday, an 'auction', called an offering, will start where the highest bidder gains the honour of carrying the statue during the procession which starts at 7 p.m. The money will go towards the upkeep of the church.
This tradition started in 1922 when the benefactors who contributed to the purchase of the statue and the rest of the items that went with it were given the right to carry the Assumption.
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