Full detailed history
Origins: the cave and a living legend
The chapel’s identity is inseparable from the cave beneath it. The most widely repeated tradition tells of a young woman (often described as a Mosta resident) pursued during a raid by Barbary corsairs. She hid inside the cave and prayed; the attackers saw undisturbed cobwebs at the entrance and moved on, and the episode was remembered as miraculous—prompting the construction of a chapel in thanksgiving.
Pre-1760 religious significance
Modern accounts also note the possibility that the cave had devotional significance before the 18th century. It has been associated in some summaries with a consecrated cave visited during the 1575 apostolic visitation of Pietro Dusina (an identification reported as “sometimes” made, rather than universally confirmed).
1760–1761: construction of the present chapel
The Good Hope Chapel as seen today was built in 1760–1761. Its position—literally over the cave—turned a local story and place of shelter into a formalised sanctuary of Marian devotion for Mosta and beyond.
Late 19th to early 20th century: growth of the devotion
From the late 1800s onward the site gained new features that shaped the approach and visitor experience: the parvis was enlarged in 1896, a stone arched bridge (now known as the Tal-Isperanza Bridge) was built in 1905, and the cave itself was renovated in 1913, including the installation of a Madonna statue; a roof lantern was added atop the dome in 1919.
Mid-20th century to today
A new altar was blessed in 1966, showing continued liturgical use into the modern period. The chapel remains active and is reported in good condition.
