page_title: St. Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun
section_title: St. Gregory's procession
hierarchical_section_title: St. Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun / St. Gregory's procession
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of St. Gregory This media is about Maltese cultural property with inventory number 01931.
context_page_description: St. Catherine's Old Church, also known as St. Gregory's Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Żejtun. The church and its complex sit towards the outskirts of the town, commanding views over Marsascala Bay, St. Thomas' Bay and Marsaxlokk harbour. The church is colloquially known as Saint Gregory's due to a traditional procession held on the first Wednesday following Easter Sunday. Its dedication to Catherine of Alexandria dates back to an original chapel on this site, which was one of the eight mother churches on Malta. The church stands next to the three cemeteries of Żejtun, dedicated to St. Rocco, St. Gregory and St. Catherine. The church's functions as the parish church of Żejtun were taken over by a new parish church, also dedicated to St. Catherine, and designed by Lorenzo Gafà.
  The present day church was built on the site of an older 15th century chapel, also dedicated to St. Catherine, along with an adjacent private chapel dedicated to St. Mark and St. Jacob. Late medieval texts prove that the church became a landmark for seafarers. Over the years, the chapel was restructured and enlarged, with the demolition of the adjacent private chapel.
context_section_description: The feast of St. Gregory was one of the principal traditional feasts on the islands, involving a procession composed of confraternities from all the parishes on the islands.  The origin of this feast was unknown for centuries, with the common belief that it related to a general vow by the populace on their deliverance from a great plague in 1519.  Recent studies have concluded that the procession was first held in 1543 by Bishop Domenico Cubelles, in response to a papal call for prayers for peace. Originally the feast was held on March 12, the feast day of St. Gregory, and was later moved to Easter Wednesday.
  The procession included the respective clergy from all the islands' towns and villages, the canons of the Mdina Cathedral and the bishop, who assembled together - initially starting from Mdina, thence walking to Żejtun. On their way, the whole company joined in the litany, as pronounced by the chief priest of each confraternity.  On their arrival at Żejtun, the procession visits St. Catherine's Old Church. At a particular point of the ceremony, the crowd exclaimed aloud for three times the word 'Misericordia.' The remaining part of the day was then spent in eating and feasting, and other kinds of amusements.
  Grand Master Perellos built a palace in Żejtun, on the main road from Tarxien, to attend the feast on the occasion of the annual procession. Grand Masters took it upon them to visit this national procession, with a large following of noblemen and grandees. A large part of St. Gregory Street in Żejtun, the main axis between the new parish church and St. Catherine's Old Church, has palaces and grand houses built as residences for this feast day. In 1926, Bishop Mauro Caruana ended the participation of other parishes after arguments erupted between the clergy of Birkirkara and Isla, on the order of precedence in the procession. Following these simplifications, the procession began at Raħal Ġdid, or Tarxien.
  A statue of Pope St. Gregory stands outside the church's grounds. The statue is the work of Salvatore Dimech, based on designs by Vincenzo Hyzler. It was placed there in devotion to the annual procession held on the first Wednesday after Easter Sunday. The statue - like the original medieval chapel - looks on towards Mdina, whence the procession began.
caption: Statue of St. Gregory the Great, outside the grounds of St. Catherine's Old Church.
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