San Dimitri Chapel – Gharb Gozo (Ref: pfm110161)
San Dimitri Chapel, full of myth and legend is built on a promontory just outside the village of Għarb close to a cliff called Ras San Mitri (The Cape of St. Demetrius). Approached by a country road from Għarb, the chapel stands in a delightful spot and is Gozo’s westernmost chapel. An early fifteenth century chapel was rebuilt in 1736 to create the building we see today. The altarpiece above the stone altar shows St. Demetrius on horseback with an old woman praying and a young man in chains. This relates to one of several legends about the chapel. This legend – a...
Read MoreBalluta Bay – St.Julians (Ref: pfm130160)
A wide panoramic image of the popular Balluta Bay in St.Julian’s with the Neo-Gothic Church and Balluta Buildings towards the right of the image and contrasting recently built structures on the left. Balluta Bay Balluta Bay is a bay on the northeast coast of Malta within St. Julian’s. It is a popular recreation spot used for swimming, diving, and water sports, with a triangular pjazza surrounded by cafés and shaded by Judas trees. Its skyline is dominated by the neo-gothic Carmelite Parish Church and the stunning art nouveau Balluta Buildings, which are apartment...
Read MoreBingemma Chapel Of Our Lady Of Itria (Ref: pfm130159)
The Chapel of Our Lady of Itria is dedicated to Our Lady of Hodegitria (The Lady of the Way). It was built between 1671 and 1673 by Baron Stanislaw Xara few steps away from another chapel dedicated to the Blessed VIrgin Mary of Itria which was built in 1600 and that was later demolished when the present one was built. The emblem that appears on the facade (a coat of arms with three trees) is that of Baron Stansislaw Xara. The chapel consists of a church, a small sacristy built alongside the church and a small room over the sacristy. The church today is in the hands of the Missionary Society...
Read MoreFungus Rock in Dwejra – Gozo (Ref: pfm120157)
A panoramic image of the Fungus Rock (locally known as “Il-Gebla Tal-General” – “The General’s Rock”) in Dwejra Gozo, just opposite the popular Azure Window. A fungus, Fungus Gaulitanus, which grows on the rock had medicinal qualities and this fungus was used by the Knights of St. John. They valued the fungus so much that they guarded the island. A penalty of death was imposed on any one trying to steal the fungus. Because the cliffs of the island are shear and high, the knights erected a man carrying hoist system between the island and the land, to...
Read MoreFort Bingemma L/O Mgarr Malta (Ref: pfm120156)
The last rays of a summer evening sun falling over the once watchful Fort Bingemma limits of Mgarr Malta. Fort Bingemma is an irregularly-shaped (polygonal), single-storey fort, 750m above sea level. The fort was protected to the north by the cliff face and on the landward side by a vertical ditch which was narrow enough to protect it from distant fire. The fort was completed in 1878 and had 3 heavy guns with an arc of fire of 210 degrees and which covered the ridges to the nort-east and the sea approach on the north-west. The hidden entrance is built on a bridge that can be lifed...
Read MoreSunset in Xlendi – Gozo (Ref: pfm120153)
A lovely panoramic shot of the sun setting over Xlendi on an calm summer evening. Ix-Xlendi is a village in Malta situated in the south west of the island of Gozo. The name is probably derived from the word “xelandion”, a type of Byzantine vessel which may have anchored in the port. It is surrounded by the villages of Munxar, Fontana and Kerċem. Xlendi falls under Munxar for administrative purposes,though it does have its own coat of arms and motto. This village has a great topography with quite steep cliffs on the side and a valley on the back which takes rain water from...
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