Għajnsielem

Għajnsielem
Għajnsielem
Local council
	Għajnsielem parish church
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: Spring of Peace
	Coordinates: 36°1′37″N 14°17′25″E / 36.02694°N 14.29028°E
Country	Malta
Region	Gozo Region
District	Gozo and Comino District
Borders	Nadur, Qala, Sannat, Xewkija
Government
• Mayor	Kevin Cauchi (PN)
Area
• Total	7.2 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2019)
• Total	2,931
• Density	410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Għajnsilmiż (m), Għajnsilmiża (f), Għajnsilmiżi (pl)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	GSM
Dialing code	356
ISO 3166 code	MT-13
Patron saint	Our Lady of Loreto
Website	Official website

Għajnsielem (Maltese pronunciation: [ɐɪ̯nˈsɪːlɛm]; 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),^[1] and is the first Gozitan village that greets the visitor on leaving Mġarr Harbour towards the Gozitan heartland. Its name originated from the water spring, around which in 1700, Grandmaster Perellos built an arcade containing public wash basins and fresh water spouts. Attractions include Lourdes Chapel with its sharp steeple and underlying niche of Our Lady of Lourdes, Fort Chambray and the towering of Ghajnsielem Parish Church.

Village Motto and Coat of Arms

The Latin motto of Ghajnsielem is Ob fontem prosperitas, that is Flourishing because of a spring – Nistaghna b’nixxiegha ilma. The springs in the area were the magnet that attracted the first inhabitants that eventually led to the prosperity of the place.

Places

The following is a list of prominent places, buildings and structures in the village.^[2]^[3]

Mġarr Harbour
Fort Chambray
Lourdes Chapel and Lourdes Home
Our Lady of Loreto Parish Church
Apparation Square
St Anthony's Church
Mġarr ix-Xini Tower
Comino
Old Parish Church
Imrejżbiet and Tal-Qiegħan Temples
Santa Cecilia Tower and Chapel
Niches around Ghajnsielem
Borġ Għarib
The Fougasse
Garzes Tower (demolished)
Belvederes
Gozo Heritage (closed)
Xatt l-Aħmar

Band Clubs

St. Joseph Band Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali San Ġużepp)

Football Clubs

Għajnsielem F.C.

Zones in Għajnsielem

Borġ l-Għarib
Fort Chambray
Ġnien Miġiaro
Iċ-Ċens
Il-Gudja
Mġarr Port
Mġarr Valley
Imrejżbiet
Rdum it-Tafal
Ta' Briegħen
Ta' Cordina
Ta' Kusbejja
Taħt il-Belt
Tal-Palma
Xatt l-Aħmar
Żewwieqa

Għajnsielem Main Roads

Pjazza Indipendenza (Independence Square)
Pjazza Loreto (Loreto Square)
Triq Borġ Għarib (Borg Gharib Road)
Triq il-Fawwara
Triq il-Ġnien (Garden Street)
Triq il-Ħamri
Triq il-Qala (Qala Road)
Triq in-Nadur (Nadur Road)
Triq ix-Xatt (Strand Street)
Triq iż-Żewwieqa
Triq l-Imġarr (Mġarr Road)
Triq Sant' Antnin (St Anthony Road)

Twin towns – sister cities

Għajnsielem is twinned with:^[4]^[5]

Bethlehem, Palestine
Tolfa, Italy
Portet-sur-Garonne, France

References

^ "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014". Government of Malta. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
^ Caruana, Joseph (2011). "Toponomi t'Għajnsielem (1)" (PDF). L-Imnara. 9 (4). Rivista tal-Għaqda Maltija tal-Folklor: 187–189. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2016.
^ Caruana, Joseph (2012). "Toponomi t'Għajnsielem (2)" (PDF). L-Imnara. 10 (1). Rivista tal-Għaqda Maltija tal-Folklor: 43–45. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016.
^ "Twinning". localgovernment.gov.mt. Government of Malta. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
^ "Għajnsielem". bethlehem-city.org. Bethlehem. Retrieved 20 September 2019.

External links

[1] "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014". Government of Malta. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.

[2] Caruana, Joseph (2011). "Toponomi t'Għajnsielem (1)" (PDF). L-Imnara. 9 (4). Rivista tal-Għaqda Maltija tal-Folklor: 187–189. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2016.

[3] Caruana, Joseph (2012). "Toponomi t'Għajnsielem (2)" (PDF). L-Imnara. 10 (1). Rivista tal-Għaqda Maltija tal-Folklor: 43–45. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016.

[4] "Twinning". localgovernment.gov.mt. Government of Malta. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2019.

[5] "Għajnsielem". bethlehem-city.org. Bethlehem. Retrieved 20 September 2019.

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