http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/sandamichaela-2353408-malta12/

Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago.

The Azure Window is a Limestone natural arch on the Maltese island of Gozo. It is situated near Dwejra Bay on the Inland Sea.

Unfortunately, this majestic natural arch is in imminent danger of collapsing. The name Dwejra which means "little house", with its curious rock formations and spilling seas, is a magical attraction offering opportunities for swimming in the spectacular deep-sea or in the Inland Sea and the unique experience of diving in the so called "Blue-Hole" near the Azure Window

This set of figurines, on show in the Archaeological Museum inside the Cittadella, was found grouped together at the burial place of Xaghra Stone Circle in Gozo and date between 3150 and 2500 BC. The sculptures show a relatively high artistic achievement especially in the elaborate treatment of some of their headdresses. They are carved in local Globigerina limestone and their context suggests some ritual use associated with the dead.

Majmuna’s tombstone exhibited inside theArchaeological Museum inside the Cittadella.

A Muslim girl named Majmuna who died in the 12th Century AD, had her tomb embellished with a marble slab carrying an inscription neatly engraved in Kufic Arabic script.Apart from giving few biographical details about the girl, the inscription also quotes the Quran.The inscription is engraved on a recycled marble slab as suggested by the Roman Sculptured decorations on its other side.

The Citadel in Victoria, Gozo, is an ancient fortified city that sits atop a hill keeping a keen protective eye over the inhabitants of the small island of Gozo.

The site upon which the Citadel stands is thought to have been first fortified during the Bronze Age in 1500 BC, later developed by the Phoenicians and then reaching its current acropolis-like status in the Middle Ages. The Citadel comprises thick defensive stone walls that rise up on the hill above the surrounding town.

After their victory in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, when the Maltese and the Knights fought fiercely to protect the Maltese Islands from the invading Ottoman Empire, the Knights set about intensifying the fortifications of the Citadel to further protect the Gozitan inhabitants from further attack. In fact, under the rule of law up until 1637, the Gozitans were required to retreat to the walls of the Citadel for their protection during the night. In the peaceful times that followed, rural Gozitans were allowed to settle outside the Citadel, slowly forming what came to be known as the surrounding town of Rabat (also known as Victoria)

Gozo view from Citadella

The seventeenth century baroque cathedral that lies within the Citadel’s walls was built on the site where a Roman temple dedicated to Juno once stood.The present building is around 300 years old and was started in 1697 but not completed till 1716. Much of the funding for it came from Gozitan families, who were eager to see their cathedral become a beautiful focal point for their devoutly religious lives.

The most fascinating aspect of the Santa Maria Cathedral has to be its location - at the heart of a 7,000-year-old tiny, fortified city. Its elevated position and the composition of the earth in this area made it a popular place for locating temples. So this very hill has been occupied and used by races ranging from the Phoenicians and Romans all the way through to the modern era when first the French, then the British occupied it.

The Cathedral is most famous for the remarkable trompe l’oeil painting on its ceiling, depicting the interior of a dome that was never built.

Gozo Cathedral

The 1739 painting on the ceiling inside gives the impression of a dome when in reality the roof of the cathedral is flat. This painting is such a masterpiece of perspective and trompe l’oeil that sometimes it is hard to convince first-time visitors that there really is no dome.

Paul Camilleri Cauchi - Christmas stamps based on Emvin Cremona works

Paul Camilleri Cauchi The Gozo parishes’ Patron Saints, a small cupola painting at the Gozo Cathedral

Paul Camilleri Cauchi The Gozo parishes’ Patron Saints, a small cupola painting at the Gozo Cathedral

Paul Camilleri Cauchi The Gozo parishes’ Patron Saints, a small cupola painting at the Gozo Cathedral

The Gozo parishes’ Patron

Saints: a small

cupola painting

at the Gozo Cathedral

church, by Paul

Camilleri Cauchi (1940)

Paul Camilleri Cauchi (1940) - Part of a ceiling of the Annunciation church in Balzan, Malta

The Cittadella is currently undergoing a €6 million restoration project, mainly funded by the EU. The work was supposed to be carried out in phases but it seems that most of the works are being carried out simultaneously, making the Cittadella a disappointing visit for tourists.

The Cathedral, enclosed in the Citadel, is a fine baroque structure designed by Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa in the form of a Latin cross. It is built entirely from local lime stone.

Text: Internet

Pictures: Sanda Foi oreanuş

Gabriela Cristescu

InternetCopyright:

All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foi oreanuşwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Chiara and Keith Camilleri - Maskri fl-Im abba (Ipokriti)ħ