(...) From its lofty position, St. Mary's Tower controlled the movements of pirates headed for Blue Lagoon and other areas. It was manned by 130 men, who had 18 guns at their disposal. Communication with similar towers in the islands of Malta and Gozo was conducted with flags during the day and fires at night. An appeal for help could be answered in a few hours, a feat not always equalled by modern systems. (...) (...) Luzzijiet in all the villages portray the eyes of the Phoenician god Osiris. This god has long been called upon to provide enough fish and to protect the occupants from storms. Osiris survived the Christianity of St. Paul and the Muslim era. But, to be on the safe side, a statue of St.Andrew also is at hand. St. Andrew is the patron saint of fishermen and his likeness graces several fishing villages in Malta and Gozo. (...) (...) The dream was to build another Valletta. Not just a fort on a bluff, but a full-fledged citadel. An effort was made to sell land to the public so houses could be built inside the fortress. But, by that time, fear of attacks from the sea had subsided and Fort Chambrai never became a city. In its 250-year life, the fort experienced only one brief military adventure. In 1798, it defended Gozo against Chambrai's own countrymen, the revolutionary forces of General Bonaparte. (...) (...) The harbour is dominated by a gothic church that fits Mgarr hill like a royal crown but whose existence may be owed to a mundane traveller. In 1879, it is said, some visitor pointed out that the rocks of the hill were similar to the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France. At that time Lourdes was Christianity's foremost pilgrim site. Only 21 years had passed since young Bernardette Soubirois was honoured with visions of Our Lady. So the pious mgarrin could not take such a remark lightly. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes soon appeared in the rocks. The church itself was finished nine years later. Soon after World War II ended, an artistic marble altar was added to the imposing Lourdes Church, whose parvis commands splendid views of the harbour. The rocks of Mgarr may or may not resemble those of Lourdes, but the message is the same. For faith and love reside next door at Lourdes Home, a matching building. This is an orphanage run by the Dominican sisters and brought to fruition by an exceptional lady, Guzeppa Debono. This dedicated woman was born in 1883, the year Our Lady made another earthly visit, this time to ta' Pinu in Gozo. Spurning marriage in favour of the needy, Guzeppa became the mama of several more children than she could have mothered biologically. A list of the home's supporting visitors include ex-President Censu Tabone, himself a Gozitan, and Britain's Prince Charles. (...) (...) Borg Gharib contains megalithic slabs as large as ten feet but with no discernible shape or form. According to one theory, it is one in a series of temples that were in visual contact with each other, ta' l-Imramma to the west and Qala to the east each being less than two miles away. The 7,000 years of human existence in Gozo are presented in a state-of-the-art show at Gozo Heritage on the main road to Rabat. (...) In contrast with its archaeological sites, Ghajnsielem's churches are not among Gozo's oldest. The old parish church dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto was built between 1810 and 1820. This is one of several Gozitan locations associated with visions of the 'White Lady'. Legend credits Anglu Grech, a pious farmer, with receiving directions from the Virgin Mary to build a church in the vicinity of Salem's Spring. The church, which has an attractive altar piece by native Gozitan Mikiel Busuttil (1750-1828), was enlarged in 1877. In 1913-14 it was embellished with other paintings by Giuseppe Calì(1846-1930). The parvis shares the church square with the canonica (parish house), a pre-war milepost, and a corner niche dedicated to Our Lady of Safe Harbour. One of about fifteen street niches in the village, this is the one that was transferred from Mgarr Harbour in 1862.
Xewkija is 'A Place where Thorns Grow' and rocks speak. There is an acre in Xewkija (show-key-ya) that would like to tell of its long association with the supernatural. Thousands of years ago the Phoenician gods Astarte and Melqart dwelled in a megalithic temple known as Maqghad ix-Xejk (The Sheik's Chair). With the advent of the Romans, these gods were replaced by new tenants Venus, Diana, Apollo and Juno. These were in turn forced out after Paul of Tarsus converted the Maltese Islands to Christianity in AD 60.According to tradition, a congregation at Maqghad ix-Xejk heard Saint Paul preach from a distance of 12 miles in the main island. (...) (...) About a third of some two dozen street niches and statues in Xewkija honour the patron saint and a few of these vie for the right to mark the starting point of the marching band program held in connection with the annual festa. The festa is scheduled so that the final day falls on the Sunday closest to June 24, St. John's liturgical day. St.John is the patron saint of the Knights of Malta, and his day has been acclaimed for several centuries. Tradition even holds that St. Paul's voice gave directions to dedicate the church to St. John and every Xewkija church built on this spot has honoured that direction. Unlike most other villages in its size range, Xewkija doesn't even have a secondary festa, though a few devotional processions are held throughout the year. St. Paul's voice is alive and well today, as are the buried monoliths that once housed Astarte and Venus. (...) (...) The period of the Knights is characterized among other things by towers. A 17th century tower known as ta'Gorgun (after a knight named Gourgion) stood until 1943. It was dismantled by Americans stationed there during World War II to construct a temporary airstrip, which was used only once. An exact model of this tower is displayed at the Gozo Museum of Archaeology in Rabat. As for as the airstrip, it may yet become an airport. For now a heliport takes care of air communication between Gozo and Malta. (...) (...) The last tower of Xewkija tells no time and carries no guns. An early 18th century windmill built during the reign of Grand Master Perellos was placed on top of an octagonal tower. (...) (...) Many visitors to Gozo make a quick stop at Xewkija and speed away to Rabat. They see little, and they hear nothing. But if only they could walk inside the churches and towers, along Wied ta' Mgarr ix-Xini and ta' Lambert, they would see history unfold. They would hear the rocks. (...)
(...) Hunted out of the main island, the falcon managed to hang on to the steep cliffs of Gozo, particularly the narrow ledges of ta' Cenc, until the 1980s. But, even in this vertical world, the bird had to share its winged life with humans. Daredevils of the unusual kind, rod fishermen performed a spectacular flight of their own by suspending themselves from the cliff tops, their waists secured to a rope.For the Maltese Falcon, dinner came by much easier. It was an unmatched experience to watch this colourful bird dive with pinpoint accuracy and astounding speed to nab a victim in the shadow of the silent cliffs of ta' Cenc. For the wildlife enthusiast, the scene is the stuff dreams are made of. Yet it can be real. There is no reason why the peregrine cannot be reintroduced to such a perfect home. (...) (...) Separating Sannat from Xewkija is a scenic gorge flowing to Mgarr ix-Xini (Galley Port), a beautiful inlet harbouring the early part of the era of the Knights of Malta. In 1551, the Turks attacked Gozo and carried away, by some accounts, the entire population into slavery. The Turks anchored their galley here, hence the name, boarding their human booty at Ras in-Newwiela (Transfer Point). But Gozo wasn't destined to become a ghost island. Some escaped while others were later ransomed. The village itself is a quiet, out-of-the-way community of 1,300 people. Sannat is considered to be the principal lace-making village of the country. High in demand as Malta Lace is, Gozo Lace is even finer. And as the famous handmade bizzilla gets a little scarcer each year, it's in traditional villages like Sannat that one gets the best chance of watching a lady working on her pins and lace bobbins. Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen of England, had such an opportunity in 1951 when she stopped at tax-Xelina House, now renamed 'Lace House', to see Guzeppa Debrincat (nicknamed tax-Xelina) and other lace workers. (...)
(...) Munxar, with its idyllic coastal resort of Xlendi, seems to be nature's experimental grounds. The name, an Arabic word meaning 'bucksaw', describes the rock formations of luscious Wied ix-Xlendi, an impressive gorge carved by a double watercourse that slopes down from the village to the Mediterranean. A picture of a bucksaw dominates the village's traditional emblem. Its motto - parvulus sed munitus (small but secure) recognizes the fact that it is a village of only 500 people. Though forming part of Munxar, Xlendi has its own unofficial motto and an emblem emphasizing the harbour aspect: navium tutela (protection for vessels). It also has its own church, first built in 1868 but now four times its original size. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the letter M for Mary is the dominating feature of the emblem. (...) A parish only since 1957, Munxar is lowest in seniority among Gozo's 15 parishes. It is a quiet village, its social calendar limited to a few religious processions. But that suits the munxarin fine. Perhaps the solace might have inspired the most prominent munxari, professor Guzè Aquilina (1911-1997), who excelled in oriental languages and is the meticulous author of one of the first comprehensive Maltese dictionaries. (...) Xlendi Bay has been used as a harbour as far back as the Roman and Moorish times. Its shallow waters were then suitable for the size of the boats plying the Mediterranean. The name means 'boat' (Byzantine xelandion, Italian scalandio, Maltese Xini or Xwejni). (...)
(...) Triq tal-Ghajn is a suburb only in the sense that it has now become an extension of Rabat. It actually started out as a fishing village and the residents have always been fond of St. Andrew, patron saint of fishermen. Lacking a church, a small corner niche known as in-nicca tas-Salvatur (Christ the Savior) became the focus of the people's devotion. When the idea to build a church caught on late in the 19th century, the people lent their generous hands with the understanding that they would be able to name it after St. Andrew, their favourite saint, with is-Salvatur as an acceptable alternative. But Bishop Gwann Marija Camilleri, a devotee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, turned both proposals down. When a parish church was declared in 1911, it was dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The symbolic heart even shows up on a traditional coat of arms. That did not diminish the villagers' loyalty to St. Andrew, whose feast is still celebrated in November. But this is now a quiet affair, as are the other religious celebrations in honour of Our Lady of Rosary, Our Lady of Sorrows, and Corpus Christi. The celebration of the Sacred Heart is instead a full-fledged festa ending on the Sunday between June 14 and 20. Lacking any open spaces, volunteers tear up the main street for the ground fireworks, which are among the best on the island. The main object of devotion is the titular statue made in 1923 and gilded in 1985. The papier-mâché statue is a masterful rendition of the love of Jesus, expressed with the aid of symbols - the heart, the chalice, and the cross - and with the carving skills of famed Gozitan statuary Wistin Camilleri (1885-1979). (...)
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Copyright © 1998 Michael Riccioli All Rights Reserved
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