St Thomas' Bay () is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

in southeastern

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 ...

, located in the limits of the seaside town of Marsascala.

About

The bay takes its name from an ancient medieval chapel dedicated to St Thomas the Apostle. The exact location of the chapel cannot be ascertained, however, its location is linked to a shrine to St Thomas on the main road to Żejtun. Historically, the bay formed part of the nearby town of Żejtun, which lies immediately uphill of the inlet. The bay and Munxar point are popular with residents of Żejtun and other inland villages for swimming, hunting and bird-trapping. Some historians contend that St Thomas' Bay marks the true landfall of

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

following his shipwreck on Malta. This theory is based on both geography, as well as archaeological findings of ancient Roman anchors in the bay. St Thomas' Bay includes a number of fortifications, including the Grade 1 scheduled Riħama Battery at its southern end. A large fortress,

St Thomas tower Saint Thomas Tower (), also known as Fort Saint Thomas (), is a large bastioned watchtower in Marsaskala, Malta. It was built in 1614, the third of six Wignacourt towers. An artillery battery was added to the tower in the early 18th century. Sain ...

was built at the tip of ''Il-Gżira ta' Wied il-Għajn'' in 1614 after an Ottoman fleet anchored in the bay and raided Żejtun. The town of Marsascala developed on the northern shores of the bay, while the headland of Il-Munxar forms the southern edge of the bay. The bay contains a number of smaller inlets, some with sand, while the bay also serves as a harbour for a number of small boats. In its inner creek, there are a number of boathouses.

''Munxar'' headland

Atlas Van der Hagen-KW1049B12 087-INSULARUM MELITAE Vulgo MALTAE et GOZAE detailzejtun

Munxar headland (

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

: ''Ras il-Munxar'') is a rock-bound

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

on the southern edge of the bay. The headland takes its name from a number of stacks, long since eroded into submerged reefs, which used to extend into the

Mediterranean sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

from Munxar point. The old Italian placename for the stacks jutting out of the headland was ''La Serta'' ( English: The Wreath)''.'' In other maps, the group of stacks is called ''La Serra'', that is, 'the

saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...

.' The Maltese word for saw is Munxar''.' The headland is an unspoiled part of the Delimara peninsula, facing St. Thomas' Bay. It has a number of terraced fields, and commands good views of the bay from its heights. The fields are typical Maltese agricultural land, consisting of small plots. The soil depth is less than two feet on average, containing mainly silty-sandy soil. The plots are terraced on levels with rubble walls. As Munxar lacks water supply, the site is only viable to be cultivated by winter crops like

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food ...

. Part of the promontory forms part of a designated national park, and the headland is a scheduled Area of High Landscape Value. Munxar headland is close to the recorded megalithic remains at Xrobb l-Għaġin, and includes a number of fortifications, including St. Paul's tower and chapel. In 1995, the land was proposed for development into a tourist village, but the plans were successfully resisted by residents and activists of the surrounding villages, and were shelved in 1996. More recent applications were filed for an agri-tourism village and for solar farms. These were either deemed incompatible with the area or withdrawn.

Notes

: ''Munxar headland should not be confused with a village in Gozo with the same name.''

References

External links

{{Commons category, St. Thomas Bay
VisitMalta.com - Malta Beaches and Bays
Bays of Malta Beaches of Malta Marsaskala Żejtun