Xlendi

Xlendi is a village in Malta situated in the south west of the island of Gozo. It is surrounded by the villages of Munxar, Fontana and Kerċem. The village is administered by Munxar, but has its own coat of arms and motto. The name Xlendi is of Byzantine origin as it is named after a galley of the period, that was wrecked along the coast, that was called Shilandi. Evidence of this was retrieved near the entry of the bay, at the bottom of the sea, in the 1960s. Since then the site has become a popular diving site. Historical places Punic Tombs Also, tombs dating from Punic-Byzantine times were found in Xlendi, some at St. Simon Point (under St. Simon Street) and some others in Xlendi Valley. Romans used to port in Xlendi as it has features that can protect from the wind for its cliffs around the bay.In the middle of the bay there is a reef which caused many shipwrecks. These sunken ships left a large number of Roman amphorae on the seabed in the mouth of the bay. Xlendi Tower A view of Xlendi The Xlendi Tower guarding the mouth of the bay was built by the Grandmaster Juan de Lascaris-Castellar on 29 June 1650. This was built so pirates or Turks could not launch attacks from this bay. This tower is still standing. It has, until recently, been abandoned with substantial damage caused to the outer walls of the tower. Responsibility for the tower was passed to the Local Council and Din l-Art Ħelwa in 2010. It is anticipated that restoration work will be commenced during 2011. The Tower was quite important for the British Army in Malta as it was the only tower in the southwest of the island. It was entitled Tower B (secondly in place) to show its importance. Chapels A cross carved in the rock marking the ruins of a cemetery It is strange that Xlendi in the middle 17th century had a total of 4 chapels. These were: St Simon Chapel (St Simon Point) which also had a cemetery and when profaned, the bishop ordered that a stone cross should be carved in the rocks; St Domenica which was an underground chapel located roughly on the cliffs over the valley of Xlendi on the side of Munxar and was difficult to reach, so it was profaned soon after it was established; St Catherine was established over Xlendi on the cliffs on the side of the village of Kercem. It was built over a cliff which bears the same name. It is said that there was a small community in the area of this chapel; 'Vizitazzjoni ta' Forn il-Gir' was not much visited by people. It was established between Munxar and Xlendi but very little is known about it. All of these chapels were profaned between the 1650s and the 1680s. The church, dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was dedicated in 1974, but some parts of the building are far older, dating to 1868. Every year, on the first Sunday of September, a feast dedicated to the patron saint is held. In the Afternoon, water games are held at the bay with the traditional 'gostra', a greasy pole which the players have to walk on to catch a flag. In the evening a procession with the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is held around Xlendi. Underground Emergency Mill In 1955, the Xlendi mill was excavated into the cliffs, situated behind the Mount Carmel church. The excavation was a huge undertaking, which consisted firstly of an entrance tunnel, some 30 meters long, 2.5 meters high and 3 meters wide, leading into a large chamber. This chamber was divided into three floors and housed the storage, grinding and milling equipment. At the rear of the mill is the silo, having a storage capacity of approximately 1,000 tons of wheat, and connected to the milling machinery by mechanical augers. An 80 hp diesel engine and alternator supplied power. Entrances from above can also access the silo. The Mill was built when the Cold War was escalating when nuclear conflict was possible. This Mill was nuclear safe. But this mill was never used after being built.