Għajnsielem (; meaning "Spring of Sielem") is a municipality on the southeastern 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 ...
in
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 ...
, including the entire island of
Comino
Comino () is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents a ...
. It has a population of 3,200 residents (as of March 2014), and is the first Gozitan village that greets the visitor on leaving
Mġarr Harbour towards the Gozitan heartland. Its name originated from the water spring, around which in 1700,
Grandmaster Perellos built an arcade containing public wash basins and fresh water spouts. Attractions include Lourdes Chapel with its sharp steeple and underlying niche of
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes (; ) is one the Marian devotions, devotional names or titles under which the Catholic Church venerates the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary. The name commemorates a series of Lourdes apparitions, 18 apparitions reported by ...
,
Fort Chambray and the towering of Ghajnsielem Parish Church.
Village Motto and Coat of Arms
The Latin motto of Ghajnsielem is Ob fontem prosperitas, that is Flourishing because of a spring – Nistaghna b’nixxiegha ilma. The springs in the area were the magnet that attracted the first inhabitants that eventually led to the prosperity of the place.
Places
The following is a list of prominent places, buildings and structures in the village.
*
Mġarr Harbour
*
Fort Chambray
*Lourdes Chapel and Lourdes Home
*
Our Lady of Loreto Parish Church
*Apparation Square
*St Anthony's Church
*
Mġarr ix-Xini Tower
*
Comino
Comino () is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents a ...
*Old Parish Church
*Imrejżbiet and Tal-Qiegħan Temples
*
Santa Cecilia Tower and
Chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
*Niches around Ghajnsielem
*Borġ Għarib
*The Fougasse
*
Garzes Tower (demolished)
*Belvederes
*Gozo Heritage (closed)
*Xatt l-Aħmar
Band Clubs
*St. Joseph Band Club
L-Għaqda Mużikali San Ġużepp
Football Clubs
*
Għajnsielem F.C.
Zones in Għajnsielem
*Borġ l-Għarib
*Fort Chambray
*Ġnien Miġiaro
*Iċ-Ċens
*Il-Gudja
*Mġarr Port
*Mġarr Valley
*Imrejżbiet
*Rdum it-Tafal
*Ta' Briegħen
*Ta' Cordina
*Ta' Kusbejja
*Taħt il-Belt
*Tal-Palma
*Xatt l-Aħmar
*Żewwieqa
Għajnsielem Main Roads
*Pjazza Indipendenza (Independence Square)
*Pjazza Loreto (Loreto Square)
*Triq Borġ Għarib (Borg Gharib Road)
*Triq il-Fawwara
*Triq il-Ġnien (Garden Street)
*Triq il-Ħamri
*Triq il-Qala (Qala Road)
*Triq in-Nadur (Nadur Road)
*Triq ix-Xatt (Strand Street)
*Triq iż-Żewwieqa
*Triq l-Imġarr (Mġarr Road)
*Triq Sant' Antnin (St Anthony Road)
Twin towns – sister cities
Għajnsielem is
twinned with:
*
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
, Palestine
*
Tolfa Tolfa is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy; it lies to the ENE of Civitavecchia by road.
It is the main center in the Monti della Tolfa, an extinct volcanic group between Civitavecchia a ...
, Italy
*
Portet-sur-Garonne, France
See also
*
Radju Lauretana
References
External links
Għajnsielem Local Councilghajnsielem.comRadju Lauretana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghajnsielem
Towns in Malta
Local councils of Malta
Gozo