Churches

This chapel was situated on the same site where the parish church now stands. Before this chapel was built, the region was called Ta'Cangura but from this time onwards it became known as San Lawrenz. The exact date of the chapel's origin is not known but its foundation is associated with Francesco Palmieri. Besides building this chapel Palmieri left some land known as tal-Habel and tal-Blata. The income from this land was used for the celebration of a mass and the distribution of four tmiem of bread to the poor on the feast day. The feast was celebrated on 10 August.

 

Founding the New Parish
In 1809 during his pastoral visit, Mgr. Ferdinand Mattei noticed that the people of San Lawrenz had started to form a separate community. The people were becoming more reluctant to go to Gharb. For the first time the bishop ordered that a mass should be celebrated in the chapel dedicated to Saint Lawrence every Sunday and on feast days.

On 18 January 1869 during the reception held on the occasion of the possession of the new archpriest of Gharb, Dun Saver Portelli, this new archpriest expressed his wish to build a larger church in the contrada of San Lawrenz. He also wanted o build a spacious parish square in front of it. This plan was immediately approved by Doctor Felic Mercieca. In those times a mass was celebrated daily in the chapel by Dun Gwann Formosa. In 1886 the first Missjoni l-Kbira took place. Everyone agreed that a larger church was essential. The only problem was the money. The rector of the Missjoni l-Kbira, Dun Joseph Hili received 102 scudi from a certain Peter Paul Galea in Valletta which about 137 scudi were collected from the villagers themselves.

The land was bought from the Government for Lm4. The plan was designed by Dun Guzepp Diacono. The foundation stone for this new church was laid and consecrated by the Bishop Peter Pace on 21 November 1886. The relic of Saint Lawrence was placed under this stone. Everyone participated with great enthusiasm in the building of the church. Every Sunday. The men under the lead of Peppu and Vitor Portelli helped to build his church while the women and children tried to assist them. Every morning at 10 o'clock the women carried a load of stones while another one was carried by the men at sunset. Whenever more stones were needed the bell was rung and the villagers left their work in order to cut out stones from the quarries. In 1889 the building was completed and on 28 April of the same year this church was consecrated by the Bishop Mgr Giovanni Marija Camilleri. In the evening the Way of the Cross was consecrated. The titular painting (1889), the work of the famous Maltese artist Giuseppe Cali was put in place two months later. The church was left in the hands of the young Dun Salv Portelli who among other obligations had the duty of celebrating a mass every day and to give lessons of catechism to children.

Now that the church was finished, the next step was to become separated from the parish of Gharb. In 1892 the villagers signed a petition addressed to the Bishop of Gozo, Giovanni Marija Camilleri, in which they expressed their wish to make the contrada of San Lawrenz a parish on its own. Before doing this, the bishop had to see that all conditions were fulfilled. The first condition was the need for a causa lusta, meaning that there had to be a good reason. The second one was the need of a locus congruous, meaning that the village there must be a chapel or a church. The next condition was the consensus Parochi which obligates the bishop to hear the opinion of the parish priest. The last one was the need of a dos congura, which means that the new parish priest should have enough land or possessions from which to earn a living. After these conditions were fulfilled the bishop of Gozo made his request to the Vatican authorities.

On 15 March 1893, the area of San Lawrenz was made a parish by means of an Apostolic Letter issued in the name of Pope Leo XIII. The new village plan was designed by the architect Pascal Calleja. On 7 May 1893 San Lawrenz was officially declared a parish by the Charncellor of the Curia. Dun Joseph Portelli. A few days later Dun Salv Portelli, who had not yet turned twenty nine years old, was sworn the first parish priest. The parish of San Lawrenz was the fourteenth one founded in Gozo. The first marriage was celebrated on 26 June between Guzepp Tabone and Marija Grima while the first baptism was that of Marijanna Cassar on 25 July.

When Dun Salv Portelli became parish priest, the church was almost bare. As years when by the church was gradually decorated by pieces of art, such as the four paintings by Giuseppe Cali depicting Christ on the Cross (1892), Our Lady of Pompeii (1893), San Michael (1891) and Saint Joseph (1892). The pictures of Saint Pius X and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, over the altars in the right and left transept respectively, were painted by Ganni Vella. The lateral paintings in the choir, representing scenes from the life of Saint Lawrence, are of Attilio Palombi.