Mosta's parish church survived a pierced dome at the height of the war.
Today marks a special anniversary in the lives of all Mosta townspeople, as well as all Maltese locals, who remember what is commonly known as ‘Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba’, the bomb miracle.
On this day in 1942, while the world was in the midst of World War II, Mosta fell victim to German aircraft that dropped three bombs on the imposing Mosta Rotunda.
While two were deflected without exploding, one pierced through the dome and landed in the church while locals were waiting for afternoon mass to start at 4.40pm.
William Muscat via Facebook
In what was hailed as a miracle, the bomb didn’t explode, and was later defused and dumped into the sea.
To mark the anniversary, a similar bomb was on display in 2020 in the church’s sacristy, alongside the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942.
79 years later, while battling a different kind of war waged by the COVID-19 pandemic, Il-Mostin are proud of their parish church’s resilience at such difficult times.