The Cittadella was initially a pre-historic settlement and later a Roman temple dedicated to
Juno was developed, and the remains of this temple existed until the present day as part of the cathedral. Following the
Christianization of Malta and Gozo, the temple was converted into a church dedicated to the
Virgin Mary. Later on, a Byzantine church was probably built on the site of the temple, until it was destroyed while
Malta was under Arab rule. Following the expulsion of the Arabs, another church was built. The earliest reference to a parish church within the Cittadella dates back to 1299, and it was enlarged over the course of the 15th and 16th centuries. The church was sacked by the
Ottomans during the
invasion of 1551, but was reopened by September 1554. It was damaged once again in the
earthquake of 1693, and a decision was made to demolish the old building and construct a new church instead. The foundation stone of the present church was laid down on 21 September 1697, and the building was designed by the Maltese architect
Lorenzo Gafà. The building is listed on the
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. == Architecture ==