Żebbuġ () is a village and an administrative unit of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, in the northwest coast of the island of

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

. It is located close to Għarb and

Għasri Għasri () is a village and an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit of Malta, in the western part of the island of Gozo, with a population of 525 people (as of March 2014). By population, it is the smallest village in Gozo after San Lawre ...

and is built on two hilltop plateaus, Ta' Abram and Ix-Xagħra taż-Żebbuġ. The fishing port and tourist resort of

Marsalforn Marsalforn (Pronounced: ''Mars al-Forn, , '' Maltese language, Maltese: ''Marsalforn''), also written as M'Forn for shortcut purposes, is a town on the north coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Malta, Maltese archipelago. The t ...

lies within the Żebbuġ Council. The village has a population of 2,956 (as of March 2014), which makes it the fifth largest in

, after

Xewkija Xewkija (, , pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and village of Malta, on the island of Gozo. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014. History Xewkija, which is between Għajn ...

. With an area of 7.6 km², Żebbuġ is the largest local council in Gozo by land area. The word ''Żebbuġ'' means " wild olive trees", a crop for which the village used to be noted, although nowadays very few olive trees remain on the slopes of Żebbuġ. The village is also well known for its fine lacework and its nearby coastal beauty spots.

History

The areas around Żebbuġ have been inhabited for millennia. There are

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

remains on Ta' Kuljat hill, and even older remains can be found to the north, close to Qbajjar Bay. Punic tombs were also found at Qbajjar. Over the following centuries, the area was inhabited only by a few farmers. A community began to take shape in the 13th century, and eventually a small chapel was built. In 1643, plans were made to build a fortified city in

, to serve as Gozo's capital instead of the ancient

Cittadella Cittadella () is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around . There are fo ...

, but the project was eventually abandoned due to a lack of funds. The parish of Żebbuġ, which is dedicated to the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

(), was established on 28 April 1688 by bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri. The village's

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

is the oldest one in Gozo, apart from St George's basilica (1678) and the cathedral (1714) in Victoria. From 1715 onwards, a chain of fortifications were built along the Żebbuġ coastline, especially at Marsalforn. Most of these have been destroyed over the years, with the only surviving vestige being Qolla l-Bajda Battery between Qbajjar and Xwejni Bays. In 1738, deposits of

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

(referred to locally as

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

, or, though it is related to neither, as '

onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...

marble' on account of its banded appearance when cut) were discovered in a field known as Taċ-Ċaqra or Is-Sagħtrija. The travertine was used to decorate the interior of the parish church of Żebbuġ, as well as in some other churches in Gozo and Malta.

Places of interest

* Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary – Originally built as a chapel in 1644, replaced by a church built between 1690 and 1726. It was further enlarged between 1938 and 1942. * Qolla l-Bajda Battery – a

coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

battery built in around 1716. It is one of two surviving examples on Gozo. * Rih id-Deheb - a refined historical house and museum featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture, applied art, folklore, antiques and naturalia, all in the ancient, venerable tradition of the "wunderkammer".

Żebbuġ main roads

*Triq Għajn Melel (Għajn Melel Street) *Triq il-Knisja (Church Street) *Triq il-Ponta (Point Street) *Triq iż-Żebbuġ (Żebbuġ Street)

Twin towns – sister cities

Żebbuġ is twinned with: *

Maletto Maletto () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about northwest of Catania. Maletto borders the following municipalities: Adrano, Belpasso, Bia ...

, Italy

References

External links