Santa Luċija is a hamlet in

Kerċem Ta' Kerċem is a village in Malta, in 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 ...

, in

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 ...

Island,

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 ...

. The hamlet takes its name from the church situated in the middle of the hamlet. The original chapel dedicated to St Lucy was recorded by inquisitor

Pietro Dusina Pietro Dusina was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from Brescia who was the inquisitor and apostolic delegate to Malta between 1574 and 1575. Dusina was nominated inquisitor of Malta by Pope Gregory XIII on 3 July 1574, and he arrived on the isl ...

in 1575 during his apostolic visitation. Santa Luċija is inhabited by country folk with a few old houses built around the church. The local feast in honour of

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse ( – 304 AD), also called Saint Lucia () and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic Church, Catholic, Angl ...

is celebrated every year on the Sunday closest to the 13th of December, the liturgical feats day of the saint. It has also become a tradition to celebrate the feast day by the Lucia procession or Festival of Light, typical to Scandinavian countries, particularly

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Lucia buns are also made on this day. Santa Luċija is unique in Gozo, with its picturesque square and traditions. The village square is marked by a traditional stone cross. The village is right next door to Kercem and boasts some stunning countryside. The area was once known for its fresh water springs and is still one of the greenest areas on Gozo. Santa Luċija is bordered by Victoria and Kerċem. Accessible from the hamlet is the Ghajn Abdul plateau which goes up to Mixta caves, the site of the earliest settlement in

. One can also access the Saint Raphael Lake and from there, a path in the fields parallel to the cliffs leads to Ras il-Wardija, the site of a Punic settlement that included a small temple."The Hamlet of Santa Luċija"
''Visit Gozo'', Malta. Retrieved on 14 September 2016.

References

Gozo Kerċem {{Malta-church-stub