Discover Gozo

Tag: Kercem

  • Isopu Tower – Nadur

    San Blas Tower, also known as ‘it-Torri ta’ Isopu’, is situated on the cliff between San Blas and Dahlet Qorrot. It was built in 1667 during the reign of Grandmaster Nicholas Cottoner at the expense of the Universita of Gozo. The guns of this Tower opened fire on the French fleet in June 1798, a distinction which no other Tower can claim!

    It is square in shape, with thick battered inwardly-sloping walls. Internally, the Tower consists of a high barrel vault with an intermediate floor resting on rib arches. A spiral staircase provides access to the various floors. Due to the remote location and inaccessibility of the Tower, the restoration work was carried out entirely by hand by Leli Saliba, known as ‘il-Bufajra’, and his son. The spiral staircase was non-existent and had to be built from scratch. The interior of the Tower had collapsed, and the roof was completely rebuilt, modelled on the sole surviving original arch, which is still visible today.

    Over a period of 3 years, the Tower was restored as a collaborative project between Din l-Art Helwa and the Local Council of Nadur. Din l-Art Helwa is very proud to have saved this Tower for the nation, and has signed a management partnership agreement with the Nadur Local Council to ensure that the use of the Tower for cultural heritage purposes will be encouraged and carefully managed.

    The expenses of the restoration project were shared equally by Din l-Art Helwa and the Nadur Local Council. The funds contributed by Din l-Art Helwa were donated by the late Marjorie Woolf.

    The Tower is now open for visitors on the first and third Sundays each month from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm. Plans are also underway to use it as visitor centre, acting as the first stop along a planned ‘nature trail’ for both tourists and locals, thus encouraging walking tours across the magnificent scenic countryside that this location has to offer.

    The areas around the tower, known as il-Qortin ta’ Isopu and il-Qortin ta’ Mangun have been designated as a special conservation area (SAC) due to their high scenic and ecological value. This area has been included in the list of sites for the Natura 2000 scheme.

    For more information about this site contact carolync@maltanet.net

  • Dwejra Tower – Gozo

    Dwejra Tower – Gozo

    Dwejra Tower is situated just off the road leading to the small enclosed bay at Dwejra in Gozo, known as the ‘inland sea’. It was completed in 1652 and periodically used by British forces up to the second World War when it was used as an observation post.

    It was completed in 1652 during the time of Grand Master Jean Paul Lascaris Castellar and funded by the Universita’ of Gozo. A Capo Mastro or Castellano was in charge of the Tower and raised money to cover expenses by producing salt from the salt pans in front of the Tower. In 1744 Grand Master Pinto had the sides of nearby Fungus Rock, home of the fabled fungus that had special medicinal powers, smoothed over to make access more difficult.

    The Tower was still in use during the eighteenth century when it was equipped with three 6-pounder guns. It was manned by the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery between 1839 and 1873 but then abandoned. During the summer of 1914 Maltese troops from the King’s Own Malta Regiment and the Royal Malta Artillery were dispatched to the coastal watch towers and Dwejra Tower was manned by No 3 Company with two, later four, 12-pounder guns. During the Second World War the Tower was used as an Observation Post. One recorded incident was the rescue of a Royal Air Force pilot, whose Spitfire had crashed in Dwejra Bay in 1942, by Captain Frank Debono and Carmelo Zahra of Victoria.

    In 1956 the Tower was leased to Gerald de Trafford for a period of fifty years. It was passed on loan to Din l-Art Helwa who commenced restoration work in 1997, which was completed two years later. A considerable amount of stonework had to be replaced on the outside and flagstones laid inside.

    The Tower is open to the public Monday to Friday and on Sundays and Public Holidays from 10.30 to 12.30 and 13.15 to 15.30, when the flag is flying. Requests for school group visits please contact info@dinlarthelwa.org

    Bookings may be made for visits by schools by contacting Mario Gauci 2156 0641 / 7956 0641 or email mario.gauci5@gmail.com

  • Lunzjata Valley The Geat Fountain

    The picturesque 17th-century fountain in Lunzjata Valley, a well loved landmark in Kercem, Gozo, was restored in 2007 by Din l-Art Helwa in a joint project with the Kercem Local Council. The restoration was made possible with the generous support of the Alfred Mizzi Foundation who sponsored the work.

    The fountain, which had suffered the decay of time and erosion, was built in 1698 by Ercole Martino Testaferrata who was appointed by Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful to create a niche over the natural spring that gushes forth at this spot. The Lunzjata valley, which had abundant springs whose waters fell into Xlendi Valley, takes its name from the nearby medieval chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation. This verdant and lush area was used by the Order of the Knights as a place of recreation.

    The fountain was used by the many Gozitans who came to obtain precious water from this side of the valley. It bears a Latin inscription, as well as two coat-of arms: the one at the top of the fountain belongs to Ercole Testaferrata and the other to Grand Master Perellos.

    The fountain is viewable at all times.

  • Zebbug

    Zebbug is perched on a hilltop to the north of Gozo, and is  very close to the popular sea side resort of Marsalforn.  The village is actually built on two adjoining hills, and is said to be the highest village in Gozo above sea level.  In 1738 the owner of a nearby field discovered a deposit of onyx and many churches in Malta and Gozo have works of art sculpted from this onyx.  The village church is dedicated to Santa Marija, the Assumption; the parish was established on 28th April 1688 and is the oldest parish church consecrated on Gozo.

    The name ‘Zebbug’  means olives or olive trees in Maltese.  The coat of arms emblem comprises of a silver shield with an olive tree on a slope, and on it a red band with three pointed yellow stars.

    Motto

    ‘Terra Sublimis’

    ‘A lofty region’

    ‘Art fuqanija’

    Zebbug enjoys fantastic sea and country views, some would say the best in the whole of the Maltese islands!  The village is situated some 3.5 km away from Victoria, the capital of Gozo and the nearby resort of Marsalforn is just a short distance away.

  • Xlendi

    Xlendi

    Xlendi is situated to the south west of Gozo.  The name is probably derived from the word ‘xelandion’, a type of Byzantine vessel which may have anchored in the port.  The church here is dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.  The front section of the building dates back to 1868; in 1969 it was enlarged at the rear.  Dedication of the church took place in 1974.

    Motto ‘
    Navium Tutela
    ‘ Protection For Vessels
    Harsien Ghall-Imriekeb

    Xlendi falls under Munxar for administrative purposes, though it does have its own motto (see above).  A white statue of the apostle Saint Andrew, patron saint of fishermen, stands looking out over the port. You will find here the Xlendi Tower, built in 1650 and  perched on the promontory.  Always a ‘must’ visit, Xlendi is hugely popular, and rightly so.  It is a delightful place; wedged between two cliffs and the stuff of many a photograph !  Come here for the bathing, the stunning scenery, the walking, or just to stop and gaze at the sunsets.

  • Xewkija

    Xewkija lies 3 kms east of Victoria.  It’s name is derived from the Maltese word ‘Xewk’, meaning thistles or thorns.  It is dominated by a huge rotunda church completed in 1971 having taken around 20 years to build.  It was built to rival the Mosta Rotunda in Malta and it succeeds in height, but not in diameter.  The dome is larger than St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and can hold a congregation of 3000 – around the entire population of Xewkija.  The village was the first parish outside the capital, and it is said to be the first place on Gozo to convert to Christianity.
    Motto

    Nemo Me Impune Lacessit’
    ‘No One Shall Attack Me With Impunity’ 
    ‘Min Jaghmel Ghalija Ma Jghaddijiex Lixxa’

  • Xaghra

    Xaghra lies on a hill in the central north east of Gozo.  The name means wilderness in Maltese, which tells something of the area before it was inhabited.  Xaghra has a beautiful parish church which is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.  It is known locally as ‘Il-Vitorija’, the Blessed Virgin Mary of Victories.  The parish of Xaghra was established by Bishop Cocco-Palmeri on 28th April 1688.  The parish was originally sited in the chapel of Saint Anthony Abbot in the same village.  The present church grew around the original building recorded first in the late seventeenth century.  The foundation stone was laid on 2nd October 1815 and it was consecrated on 26th May 1878.  The title of Basilica was conferred on the parish on 26th August 1967.  The church is covered throughout with marble, and a main attraction is a beautiful statue of the young Virgin Mary, il-Bambina, brought over from Marseilles in 1878.

    Motto
    ‘Librat Et Evolat’
    ‘Poised and Soaring’
    ‘Tisseqqer U Tittajjar’

    Xaghra is famous for its prehistoric sites; the temples of Ggantija and the nearby Neolithic site of Santa Verna.  Calypso’s cave also lies within Xaghra.  The village also has two grottos which have stalactites and stalagmites, namely Ta’Xerri and Ta’Ninu, both of which are open to the public.  There is also a museum of toys and an old wheat grinding windmill which has been fully restored and houses a collection of agricultural and domestic items from years long past.

  • Victoria

    Victoria

    Victoria or Rabat is divided into two parishes, that of Saint Mary, The Assumption, with its Cathedral in the citadel, and the Basilica Church of Saint George in the lower part of the town.

    Saint George Parish Rabat is the name of the medieval town of Gozo.  It acquired city status, in 1887, and in 1897 was named by the British Colonial Government of the day as Victoria,  to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  ‘Rabat’ though,  is Arabic and archaic Maltese for suburb.  Rabat has two parishes; the Cathedral and the parish of Saint George.  The parish church of Saint George lies just off the main square, It-Tokk.  It is situated in the very centre of the old town, and the parish is thought to have originated in medieval times; probably around 1450.  The foundation stone of the present church was laid on 7th August 1672.  It was consecrated on 21st September 1755.  On 6th September 1958, the church was bestowed the title of Basilica.  The inside is covered with marble, with a very impressive bronze and gold gilded canopy over the high altar.  The main attraction however, is a statue of the patron saint, Saint George, sculpted in wood in 1838.

     

    Motto
    ‘A Magna Maxima’
    From Great Supreme
    Minn Kbira, L-Oghla

    The Cathedral – Assumption of The Blessed Virgin MaryA cathedral church is one that is presided over by a bishop and in which the bishop has its cathedra, or throne.  There is much history, but the foundation stone of the present Cathedral was laid on 21st September 1697.  The new church was officially inaugurated on the eve of the Assumption, 14th August 1711.  The present Cathedral Chapter is made up of eighteen Canons who have the title of Monsignors.  Since 1864, Gozo has had seven Bishops.

  • Towns & Villages of Gozo

    Some general information on the Villages and towns of Gozo. Towns and Villages –

     

     

     

     

  • St Lawrence

    San Lawrenz lies to the west of Gozo, some 4 kilometres from Victoria (Rabat).  The village parish is dedicated to roman martyr Saint Lawrence, and it is the only village in Gozo to be named after its patron saint.  The foundation stone of the church was laid on 21st  November 1886, the building being completed by 1897.  The church was consecrated on 26th September 1897, having been established a  parish on 15th March 1893.

    Motto
    Dominus Protectio Mea’
    The Lord is my Shield’
    ‘Il-Mulej Il-Qawwa Tieghi’

    The area boasts some of the most spectacular scenery on Gozo; namely Dwerja bay, known as the inland sea.  Here you will find  ‘General’s Rock’, or ”Fungus Rock’, the name given to a 65 metre high megalith, so named  because of the existence of a minute plant once having grown there which was mistaken for a fungus, and thought to have had great healing powers.  There is a roman tomb at Dwerja and a tower dating back to the knights of St. John.  The bay is also popular with bathers.  A most interesting rock formation along this coastline is the ‘it-Tieqa taz-Zerqa’ (Azure Window), which is accessible both by boat and on foot, and is a great favourite with photographers, it resembles a doorway, or ‘window’ framing the blue of the sea.