Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fontana

Fontana originally formed part of the Gozo Cathedral parish and the locals walked to Rabat to attend Mass. There was a need of a place of worship closer to home. The fishermen of Fontana promised to lay aside a share of the proceeds from every catch for the building of a new church.

Plans for the building was set in motion in the late 19th century when the Noble Vincenzo dei Marchesi Apap donated a tract of land at ta’ Mulejja for the building of the church.

The plan of the new church, initially drawn by architect Pasquale Calleja and later modified by Vincenzo Mercieca, was soon approved and construction proceeded rapidly although work came to a halt more than once due to lack of funds. On March 27, 1911, Bishop Giovanni Maria Camilleri declared Fontana a parish.

Despite being designed in the late 19th century, the church has a baroque style façade which is dominated by a single bell tower making it unique in the local context, which extends from the main portal up to the pinnacle. The lower section of the façade is divided in a number of bays and panels, all alternatively separated by single or double Ionic pilasters.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority scheduled the parish church as a Grade 1 monument on August 26 as per Government Notice 782.