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Xewkija (, , pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an administrative unit and village 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 ...
, on 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 ...
. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014.


History

Xewkija, which is between
Għajnsielem Għajnsielem (; meaning "Spring of Sielem") 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 vil ...
and the main town of Victoria, is the oldest village in Gozo. It became the first parish outside Victoria on 27 November 1678. Bishop Miguel Jerónimo de Molina separated it from the Matrix. Dun Grezz Farrugia, from Valletta, became its first parish priest. It became the first district ''contrada'' known as ''casale'' "village". The name is derived from . 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, Malta. History On 27 November 1678, Bishop Miguel Jerónimo de Molina raised Xewkija from a hamlet to ...
, which is dedicated to
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
, is the seat of the
Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
, built from Maltese stone by local masons and craftsmen. The church 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 hi ...
. 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 a stone was known as 'Maqgħad ix-Xiħ'. Near it, there is a small ancient chapel known as Madonna tal-Ħniena "Our Lady of Charity", dedicated to San Bartilimew. The
Santa Cecilia Tower Santa Cecilia Tower ( or ''ta' Santa Ċilja'') is a tower in Għajnsielem, Gozo, Malta. It was built in 1613 by a member of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of St. John, and it could relay messages across the island. The tower remains in good condi ...
had been within 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 ( or ''It-Torri Gorġun'', ) 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 Xewkija. Despite being listed on the Antiquiti ...
, built in 1690, was demolished during the Second World War to make way for a temporary airstrip. The Maymūnah 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; 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 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. Lorenzo Zammit Haber was the 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 and the Xewkija Heliport.


Facilities

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 are in the suburbs of the village. There are also the Gozo Stadium, the Government Farm, St. Mary's Cemetery, Xewkija Cemetery and 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 erected in the times of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful. This is a unique mill in Gozo because it has points which show the eight principal wind directions. At Misraħ Imbert one can see the cart ruts, coming from Borġ Għarib, Mġarr ix-Xini, Ta' Ċenċ and Tas-Salvatur.


Twin towns – sister cities

Xewkija is twinned with: *
Castelvenere Castelvenere ( Castelvenerese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Benevento, Campania Region, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consis ...
, Italy *
Modica Modica (; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. It has 53,413 inhabitants. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical cap ...
, Italy * Pachino, Italy


Notable people

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


See also

* Gozo farmhouse


References


External links


Xewkija ParishXewkija.net - Xewkija Village PortalXewkija Local CouncilBanda Prekursur- Xewkija Band ClubRadju Prekursur - Xewkija Community Radio
{{Authority control Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta Gozo