Following the expulsion of the Arabs , another church was built . The earliest reference of 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 the decision was taken to demolish the old building and construct a new church instead
earthquake of 1693
1693 Sicily earthquake
Cathedral of the Assumption, Gozo