At first-floor level, there is also a niche with the older statue of Saint Joseph, which was replaced in 1933 with the present devotional statue retained in the Church for the devotion of the Catholic community. The older statue has been restored this year 2010 and it transpired that the wooden statue was probably manufactured in Malta at around 1650. This date is corroborated both by the style of the carving and by the evident aging of the wood. The present Għaxaq church was built at around that same time. The statue is therefore key proof to the longevity of the devotion to Saint Joseph and has also significant historical and artistic value, being in absolute terms the oldest existing devotional statue in Għaxaq and actually one of the oldest still in existence on the entire Maltese Islands.