Marsalforn

History

Marsalforn dates back to Roman times. Until the sixteenth century, the port was the most important in Gozo. Imported food supplies from Sicily were unloaded at Marsalforn, and it was from there that passengers boarded to travel to Licata in Sicily and other continental ports. By the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries the Knights of the Order of Saint John, the rulers of Malta at the time, considered abandoning the old Citadel in the centre of the island and building a new town overlooking the port. Hostility from the Gozitan people meant that the plans were never realised. They protested that they were too poor to pay the extra tax needed to finance the move and the disruption caused by the transfer of their homes from Victoria to Marsalforn would be too great. Marsalforn's church, St Paul's Church, was built in 1730. It was restored in 1939. With the development of Mġarr harbour, Marsalforn lost its importance and for several centuries, it remained a quiet fishing town inhabited by a small community of fishermen and their families. During the siege of Malta, on 12 April 1942, Marsalforn was hit by several bombs. On 19 May 2019, the Ministry for Gozo installed a WWII memorial commemorating the attack on Marsalforn on 3 March 1942.

Geography

To the south of Marsalforn is a fertile valley named after the town. The valley is bounded by several hillocks and used to be known as the "haven of hillocks". The most famous of these is tas-Salvatur (Our Saviours Hill) also referred locally as Tal-Merzuq Hill (Ray of Light) due to the legends surrounding it, recorded by Giovanni Abela in the seventeenth century. This volcano-like hill has acquired the attention of the people since 1901, when a large wooden cross was erected on its peak. Three years later, when Gozo was consecrated to Christ the Saviour, a stone statue of Christ replaced the cross. This was in turn replaced by a gigantic concrete statue towering twelve metres above the hill, which remains to this day. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked in Malta, but legend maintains that it was from Marsalforn that he embarked for Sicily and Rome. Today, this legend is symbolised by the town's emblem, which consists of a viper encircling a sword. This refers to an episode involving Saint Paul when he remained unharmed after being bit by a viper. The town church of "Saint Paul Shipwreck" is also dedicated to the memory of Saint Paul's departure from Marsalforn. The church, originally raised in the fourteenth century, has been rebuilt and enlarged many times. The foundation stone of the present church was laid in 1730. The feast is celebrated on 10 February every year. To the west, over a small headland, lies a smaller bay, Qbajjar.

Most-observed species

• Spanish Sparrow

  Passer hispaniolensis (Temminck, 1820) · Aves
  1,292
• Sardinian Warbler

  Curruca melanocephala (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  805
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  752
• Filfola Wall Lizard

  Podarcis filfolensis (Bedriaga, 1876) · Squamata
  717
• Zitting Cisticola

  Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810) · Aves
  616
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  542
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  504
• Common Sandpiper

  Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  497

Most recent

• M 3.3 — 2025-04-17
  13 km NE of Sliema, Malta
• M 4.5 — 2022-11-22
  13 km NW of G?arb, Malta
• M 4.5 — 2020-12-22
  7 km NNW of Scoglitti, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2020-09-30
  19 km SSW of ?urrieq, Malta
• M 3.3 — 2019-10-08
  9 km NE of ?ebbu?, Malta
• M 3 — 2017-12-01
  1 km SE of Marsaxlokk, Malta