Xewkija ( mt, Ix-Xewkija, it, Casal Xeuchia, pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an

administrative unit Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, on the island of

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014.

History

Xewkija, which is situated between

Għajnsielem Għajnsielem (), meaning ''"Peaceful Spring"'', is a municipality on the southeastern coast of the island of Gozo in Malta, including the entire island of Comino. It has a population of 3,200 residents (as of March 2014), and is the first Gozitan ...

and the main town, Victoria, is the oldest village in Gozo. It became the first parish outside Victoria on 27 November 1678. It was separated from the Matrix by Bishop

Miguel Jerónimo de Molina Miguel Jerónimo de Molina y Aragonés (7 October 1638 – 31 August 1698) was a Spanish people, Spanish prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta, Bishop of Malta from 1678 till 1682 when he was transferred to the Roman Catholic Di ...

and Dun Grezz Farrugia from Valletta, became its first parish priest. It became the first district 'contrada' to be known as 'casale' or village. St John the Baptist Titular Statue of Xewkija Gozo, Malta

St John the Baptist Titular Statue of Xewkija Gozo, Malta

The name is derived from the Maltese word "", meaning "thistles" or "thorns". Xewkija is famous for its church, The

Rotunda of Xewkija The Church of Saint John the Baptist, commonly known as the Rotunda of Xewkija or Xewkija Rotunda, is a Roman Catholic church in Xewkija, Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc ...

, which is dedicated to

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

. It is the Seat of the Knights of the Order of St. John, and was built from Maltese stone by local masons and craftsmen. It is the largest in Gozo and its dome dominates the village. Its architect was

Ġużè Damato Ġużè or Joseph Damato (13 December 1886 – 25 May 1963) was a Maltese architect who designed a number of churches and other ecclesiastical buildings during the 20th century. He was a pioneer of the use of reinforced concrete in Malta, and his ...

. It replaced an older church. The titular statue of Saint John the Baptist was sculpted in wood by Pietro Paolo Azzopardi in 1845. On the site where the present church is, it was said that there was a stone known as 'Maqgħad ix-Xiħ'. Near it there is a small ancient chapel known as Madonna tal-Ħniena (Our Lady of Charity) which was dedicated to San Bartilimew. The

Santa Cecilia Tower Santa Cecilia Tower ( mt, It-Torri ta' Santa Ċeċilja or ''ta' Santa Ċilja'') is a tower in Għajnsielem, Gozo, Malta. It was built in 1613 by a member of the Order of St. John, and it could relay messages across the island. Today, the tower is ...

had been in the limits of Xewkija. There is another tower with the oldest sundial in Xewkija. Remains of Tinghi Tower disappeared in the 20th century. These towers date back to 1613. The

Gourgion Tower Gourgion Tower ( mt, It-Torri ta' Gourgion or ''It-Torri Gorġun'', it, Torre Gourgion) was a fortified house in the outskirts of Xewkija, Gozo, Malta. The tower was built by Giovanni Gourgion in 1690, and it became a symbol of the village of X ...

, which was built in 1690, was demolished during the Second World War to make way for a temporary airstrip. XewkijaRotundaChurch

The Majmuna Stone with an Arabic inscription dating back to 1174 was possibly found in Xewkija. It commemorates the death of an Arab girl named Maymūnah. The inscription is carved in a thick marble slab, on the underside of which there is a Roman symbol. Brother Gabrijel D'Alappo translated it into Italian and it was later translated into Maltese. It was sent to the Public Library in Malta in 1845 and brought to the

Gozo Museum of Archaeology The Gozo Museum of Archaeology ( mt, Il-Mużew tal-Arkeoloġija ta' Għawdex) is a museum in the Cittadella of Victoria in Gozo, Malta. The museum of Archaeology was opened in 1960 as the first public museum in Gozo and was known as the Gozo Muse ...

in 1960. The Banda Prekursur (Precursor Band) is the oldest organization in Xewkija. It was set up on 13 May 1929. Lorenzo Zammit Haber, Marcell Mercieca, Giuseppe Buttigieg, Giovanni Haber and Tomaso Attard were among its founders. Mr. Lorenzo Zammit Haber was first President and Secretary. The coat of arms of Xewkija is a shield on a gold background with a red horizontal strip between two thorns, one above and one below. The motto of Xewkija is 'Nemo me impune lacessit', that is, 'No one shall attack me with impunity'. A helicopter service once ran between

Malta International Airport Malta International Airport ( mt, L-Ajruport Internazzjonali ta' Malta, ) is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole of the Maltese Islands. It is located on the Malta (island), island of Malta, southwest of the Maltese capital Vallett ...

and the

Xewkija Heliport Xewkija Heliport , also known as Gozo Heliport, is a small heliport on the island of Gozo in Malta, near the town of Xewkija. Facilities It has two helipads, with a width of connected by asphalt, to form a small long runway in the 10/28 direct ...

Facilities

On the suburbs of the village there are the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

(Gozo Campus) and the offices of the Employment & Training Corporation. There are also the

Gozo Stadium The Gozo Stadium ( mt, Il-Grawnd t'Għawdex), formerly known as the Silver Jubilee Ground, is the main stadium of the island of Gozo, Malta. The Gozo Stadium, which is located in Xewkija, seats only 1,644 people but its standing areas at each end ...

, the Government Farm, St. Mary's Cemetery and Xewkija Cemetery. There is also an industrial estate which employs hundreds of Gozitan workers. The rising population in Xewkija needed more building sites for houses and housing estates have been developed at Tal-Barmil, Ta' Ġokk and Tal-Ħamrija. On entering the village from the main road, one sees the remains of the

Tat-Tmien Kantunieri Windmill Tat-Tmien Kantunieri Windmill ( mt, Il-Mitħna tat-Tmien Kantunieri) in Xewkija, on the main road mid-way between Victoria and Għajnsielem, stands as the oldest surviving windmill in Gozo, Malta. It has just undergone restoration after the Planni ...

erected in the times of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful. This is unique mill in Gozo because it has points which show the eight principal wind directions. At Misraħ Imbert one can see the

cart ruts A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed t ...

, coming from Borġ Għarib,

Mġarr ix-Xini Mġarr ix-Xini ( mt, L-Imġarr ix-Xini), is a bay close to Għajnsielem (southwest), Xewkija and Sannat (southeast) on the Maltese island of Gozo. It lies in a gorge to the west of Mġarr Harbour, accessible mainly from the nearest village of ...

, Ta' Ċenċ and Tas-Salvatur. StJohnXewkija

Xewkija_Windmill_Closup_Photo_by_tcvella

Twin towns – sister cities

Xewkija is twinned with: *

Castelvenere Castelvenere ( Castelvenerese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Benevento, Campania Region, Italy. It is a member of the Titerno "Local Action Group." International relations Twin towns – Sister cities Castelvenere is twinned ...

, Italy *

Modica Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capital ...

, Italy *

Pachino Pachino (; scn, Pachinu ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). The name derives from the Latin word ''bacchus,'' which is the Roman god of wine, and the word ''vinum'', which means wine in Latin; originally the ...

, Italy

Notable people

* Dun Guzepp Attard * Dun Grezz Farrugia * Maria Grech * Rosa Magro

References

External links