Xewkija

About Xewkija 

Xewkija is an active village. It encompasses Gozo’s industrial zone where factories produce a number of articles for local use and for export.  As the football stadium lies on the Rabat-Xewkija Road, this road is thronged by football fans intent on an afternoon’s entertainment at the adjacent football stadium. Southwards from the end of the village you will find “Wied Hanzira” which literally means “the valley of the sow” and it is one of the deepest valleys on the island and also a veritable haven for the lover of wild plants.

History of Xewkija

Xewkija is located between Victoria and Ghajnsielem. It became the first parish outside Victoria on 27th November 1678.  It became the first district ‘contrada’ to be known as ‘casale’ or village. Thanks to Xewkija being the oldest village in Gozo, the locality of Xewkija is filled with history. 

The coat of arms of the village depicts a shield on a gold background with a red horizontal strip between two thorns, one above and one below. The motto of the village of Xewkija is “Nemo me impune lacessit” which means “No one shall attack me with impunity’.

Places of Interest

Some places of interest about the locality of Xewkija consist of: 

Xewkija Parish Church

In Xewkija there is the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy around which revolves a legend about a thief who wanted to steal a golden chalice, but ended up by joining a hermit to repay his sins. The parish church was completed in 1981 and the villagers themselves paid for the church to be completed. It boasts the third largest supported dome in the world, after St. Peter’s in Rome. The dome is 74 metres high with a diameter of 27 metres and a circumference of 85 metres. Its total weight is calculated to be 45,000 tonnes.

The Rotunda of Xewkija

The Rotunda of Xewkija’s takes its name from the term ‘xewk’, which means thistles or thorns. The Rotunda of Xewkija is a very famous church and is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The church was built from Maltese stone by local Xewkija masons and craftsmen and is the Seat of the Knights of the Order of St. John. The settlement is dominated by the church, which is Gozo’s biggest. The architect is Guze Damato. An previous church was demolished to make way for this new one. Pietro Paolo Azzopardi created the titular statue of St. John the Baptist in wood in 1845.

Maqghad ix-Xih and Madonna tal-Hniena

Where the present church stands today there was once a stone known as Maghad ix-Xih (the old man’s chair). Near it there stands a small ancient chapel known as Madonna tal-Hniena (Our Lady of Charity) which was dedicated to St. Bartilimew.

The Santa Cecilia Tower, the Gourgoin Tower and the Tinghi Tower

The Santa Cecilia Tower was within the city borders of Xewkija, but another tower houses the city’s oldest sundial. Tinghi Tower’s ruins vanished in the twentieth century. Both of the towers were built in 1613. The Gourgion Tower was erected in 1690, but it was dismantled during WWII to make place for a temporary airport.

The Majmuna Stone

The Majmuna Stone was discovered in Xewkija and bears a 1174 Arabic inscription. It honours the death of an Arab girl named Maymunah. The text is cut into a broad marble slab with a Roman emblem engraved into the underside. It was first translated into Italian by Brother Gabrijiel D’Alappo, and then into Maltese. In 1845, it was sent to Malta’s Public Library, and in 1960, it was transferred to the Gozo Museum of Archaeology.

Tat-Tmien Kantunieri Windmill

The oldest surviving windmill in Gozo, the Tat-Tmien Kantunieri Windmill, is located near Xewkija, halfway between Victoria and Ghajnsielem. Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful commissioned the windmill, which was first used by miller Ganni Scicluna in 1710.

The windmill comprises of a spacious entry hall with two parallel rooms at the back, one of which is a kitchen with the original oven still intact. In the centre of the mill, there is a spiral staircase that leads to the mill roof. 

The birth chamber is located above the entry hall. The windmill was in service until 1886, when it was destroyed by fire. In the mid-nineteenth century, it was held by the three Camilleri brothers. The windmill has been renovated and will be reopened on January 29, 2021. Concrete features that had been erected in the previous years were removed, and a tiny square was created in their place. The mechanical components were replaced.

The Xewkija Band Club

The Xewkija Band Club – Banda Prekursur got its start in the Tat-Tmien Kantunieri Windmill. From 1956 until 1965, it served as the club’s home base. The oldest organisation in Xewkija is the Banda Prekursur (Precursor Band). It was founded on May 13th, 1929. Its founders were Lorenzo Zammit Haber, Marcell Mercieca, Giuseppe Buttigieg, Giovanni Haber, and Tomaso Attard. The first President and Secretary was Mr. Lorenzo Zammit Haber.