A bronze monument dedicated to Frangisk Portelli of Gharb has been unveiled by the Bishop Emeritus of Gozo, Mgr. Nikol G. Cauchi. The monument was erected at the Ta’ Pinu public garden in front of the sanctuary.

The figure was cast in bronze at the Domus Dei of Rome based on the original plaster model by Chev. Alfred Camilleri Cauchi.

Frangisk Portelli, the forgotten promoter of the devotion of Ta’ Pinu, was also born in the il-Fgura section of the village on the 6th of October 1850. He grew up tending the animals on their farm and working in the fields.

Mr Portelli was a member of the lay Third Order of the Franciscan Capuchins and, in fulfilling the obligations that such a membership entailed, he deepened his devotion to the Mother of God.

Frangisk confirmed under oath that (around 1883) he had received special messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary of Ta’ Pinu. On six occasions he had heard a voice coming from the holy picture recommending to him a special devotion to the hidden wound of Her beloved Son, that wound caused by the weight of the cross crushing on his shoulders.

Frangisk Portelli died at the age of seventy-five on the 4th of February 1926.

The rector of the Ta’ Pinu sanctuary, Fr. Gerald Buhagiar, extended his appreciation towards all those persons involved who helped with the expenses required for the erection of the monument, enabling such figures to become more widely known.

Photo by Charles Spiteri: The bronze monument dedicated to Frangisk Portelli

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