The earthquake of 1693 that ravaged Catania and the Val di Noto region in Sicily also caused irreparable damage to the old mediaeval church within the walled citadel of Gozo. A few years later, works commenced on the construction of a new baroque church to the design of Lorenzo Gafa. Most of the present building was constructed between 1697 and 1711.

The Cathedral Parish dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady is a fine baroque structure in the form of the Latin cross. A tall belfry with five bells at the rear of the Cathedral replaces the more traditional and common two belfries at the front. The three-bay façade is raised on a steep flight of wide stairs to create a more dramatic setting. Clusters of Corinthian pilasters and half-pilasters divide the wall plane at ground level. The central bay is raised on the second level and incorporates a niche with the statue of the Virgin Mary. Vignola-type links connect it to the lower lateral bays which end with carved giant stone finials. A classical triangular pediment crowns the raised central bay. The Gozo Cathedral was never completed. The typical side buttress screens were not built and although a stone drum was constructed over the crossing, the dome was never erected. This was compensated for by a unique trompe d’oeil painted on the flat ceiling attributed to Antonio Manuel da Messina in 1739 as a one-point sotto in su perspective which is seen as three dimensional from a particular viewpoint. Here the true spirit of the baroque comes alive with the fusion of architecture, sculpture and painting.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority originally scheduled the parish church as a Grade 1 monument on June 27, 1995 as per Government Notice 427.