While travelling abroad is currently a concern due to the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic tourism has opened the way to explore and discover the beauty of one’s own country. Now, more than ever, we are also appreciating the outdoors and the off-the-beaten tracks.
Our islands are imbued with narratives, history and mysteries. Being small in size means that much of the land, pathways and coasts have been utilised in some way or another by those who lived before us. Therefore, through the evidence they have left behind, we can retrace their existence and understand better what it meant to live in this country in bygone eras.
We have often driven along Mġarr Road, in Gozo and, most probably, we have noticed the historical St Cecilia Tower right at the beginning of Triq Ta’ Lambert, which leads to the helipad area. Yet, how many of us know the story of this tower and of the surrounding context?
In recent years, NGO Wirt Għawdex succeeded to restore two historical buildings that formed an intriguing network with St Cecilia Tower. One of these is St Cecilia Chapel, which lies in close vicinity to the tower to which it lent its name. The other is Mġarr ix-Xini Tower, which is located at the entrance to Mġarr ix-Xini Bay, limits of Għajnsielem.
These three historical buildings offer an intriguing opportunity to travel back in time by walking along a historical route that was tread by locals, soldiers and invaders.
St Cecilia Chapel is the oldest surviving chapel in Gozo.St Cecilia Chapel
St Cecilia Chapel in Triq Ta’ Lambert is the earliest one of the three. It is also the oldest surviving chapel in Gozo and the best remaining example of the many unaisled chapels that once dotted the countryside. The date of construction of this chapel is unknown but it is believed to go back to around 1540. The chapel stands in an area known as Ta’ Santa Ċilja, as noted in notarial documents that date to 1424. The oldest recorded reference to this chapel was made in a pastoral visit by the Bishop of Malta Baldassare Cagliares in 1615.
A certain Paskal Muscat, who was very devoted to St Cecilia, is said to have taken care of St Cecilia Chapel till 1635. Apparently, after his demise, the chapel was left in a state of abandonment and when, in 1644 the bishop visited the site again, he found the chapel in a poor condition and deconsecrated it.
In 1996, St Cecilia Chapel was scheduled as a Grade 1 monument and, the following year, it was expropriated by the government. In 2007, the chapel suffered irreparable damage when it was burnt down by vandals. The structure continued to deteriorate after heavy rainfall in January 2008.
Later that year, the chapel was entrusted to Wirt Għawdex, which, together with the Ministry for Gozo, started restoration works. This restoration was funded by the Baron Group of Companies, with additional funds coming through eco-Gozo projects and The Rotary Club Gozo. The restored St Cecilia Chapel was officially opened for the public on March 24, 2012 and, today, it serves as a captivating historical venue for cultural activities.
The tower stands proudly at the entrance of Mġarr ix-Xini bay.Mġarr ix-Xini Tower
Mġarr ix-Xini Bay, which is located around a kilometre away from St Cecilia Chapel, might look spectacular and serene nowadays. However, in 1551, this spot is said to have been the area in which the Turkish raiders landed and carried most of the population into slavery. According to legend, Dragut ordered this attack as an act of vengeance after the Gozitans refused to return his brother’s corpse for a proper burial when he was killed on the island in 1544 and instead they burnt the body in front of his eyes.
To safeguard this area from further Ottoman landings, in 1661, Mġarr ix-Xini Tower was built right at the entrance of the bay. The tower was constructed at the expense of the local Universitas on a plan by Mederico Blondel, an engineer of the Order of St John. It was manned by a castellan and a professional bombardier, both of whom were salaried by the Universitas.
Mġarr ix-Xini Tower has only one entrance, approached by a flight of steps and a palisade drawbridge. It has two floors with one room each. The lower room has a ceiling of arched stone corbels, two small windows and a hatch leading to the upper or main room. This was the living and all-purpose room of the guards. The room has a strongly-built vaulted ceiling to withstand enemy cannon ball. A winding spiral staircase leads to the roof.
A close-up of the tower’s drawbridge.From its vantage point, this tower was used to communicate with St Mary’s Tower on Comino and with neighbouring towers, usually through fires on their roofs.
In 1995, Mġarr ix-Xini Tower was scheduled as a Grade 1 monument but the structure was in a state of deterioration and it was risking collapse. Following several pleas by Wirt Għawdex to restore this historical building, in 2000, restoration works started on the tower in a concerted effort between the NGO and the Ministry for Gozo.
Works included the dismantling and reconstruction of the façade and corner facing the sea, both of which were in a very bad state of conservation and which were in imminent danger of collapse. Other works included the replacement of deteriorated stones and pointing and reconstruction of parts of the tower, which were demolished over the years.
A substantial part of the work involved was financed through money collected from members and supporters of Wirt Għawdex while the Ministry for Gozo provided the scaffolding and the workers. The restored tower was officially opened for the public in July 2009.
St Cecilia Tower stands close to St Cecilia Chapel.St Cecilia Tower
After the construction of Mġarr ix-Xini Tower, it soon became evident that this structure was not adequate for its purpose. In 1613, a bigger tower, which became known as St Cecilia Tower, was built inland on the hill overlooking Mġarr ix-Xini Bay by Fra Bernardo Macedonia, Commander of Artillery of the Order of St John. Eventually, St Cecilia Chapel became an ancillary building to this tower.
St Cecilia Tower formed part of the communication network with Mġarr ix-Xini Tower and the batteries at Ramla Bay and was also able to offer refuge to the neighbouring population in case of a corsair attack.
Today, the tower is a private residence. Like its neighbouring chapel, in 1996, this historical structure was scheduled as a Grade 1 monument.
Appeal for volunteers
Both St Cecilia Chapel and Mġarr ix-Xini Tower, which are currently open by appointment, are manned by Wirt Għawdex volunteers. Those interested to become volunteers with this NGO can send an e-mail to info@wirtghawdex.org.
Wirt Għawdex always welcomes new members. To join the NGO, visit https://www.wirtghawdex.org/membership/join-wirt-ghawdex.
For more information, visit www.wirtghawdex.org.
Fiona Vella is the PRO of Wirt Għawdex.