Exploring Xewkija探索紹基亞

Located right between Victoria and G?ajnsielem， Xewkija is the oldest settlement in Malta’s sister island， Gozo. The village’s name is derived from the term “xewk” which denotes “thorns” or “thistles”. On November 27，1678， Xewkija became the first Gozitan village outside of Victoria to become parish. It also became the first “contrada1” area to be referred to as a “casale2” or “hamlet”.

紹基亞位于維多利亞和艾因西萊姆之間，是馬耳他的姐妹島嶼戈佐島上最古老的聚落。這座村莊的名字來自xewk一詞，含義為“荊棘”或“薊草”。1678年11月27日，紹基亞成了維多利亞城之外第一個成為教區的戈佐村莊。它也是島上第一個被稱為“村莊”的地區。

The Rotunda of Xewkija， a church honouring St. John the Baptist， is undeniably the most acclaimed structure in Xewkija. It was constructed from Maltese stone3 by local masons and craftsmen， and it served as the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of St. John. Interestingly， it is the biggest church in Gozo， and the settlement is dominated by its dome. Designed by ?u?è Damato， the current Rotunda replaced an older church whose priceless masonry is currently on display at the Rotunda’s Art Museum. Pietro Paolo Azzopardi created the wooden figure of Saint John the Baptist that bears his name in 1845.

紹基亞的穹頂教堂是為紀念施洗者圣約翰而建造的，無疑是紹基亞最有名的建筑。它由當地的石匠和手工匠人用馬耳他石材建造，曾是圣約翰騎士團的總部。有趣的是，它是戈佐島上最大的教堂，其穹頂俯瞰著整個村落。現在的穹頂教堂由古澤·達馬托設計，已經取代了老教堂。目前，老教堂珍貴的石刻在穹頂教堂的藝術博物館展出。彼得羅·保羅·阿佐帕爾迪在1845年創作了施洗約翰的同名木雕。

16th-century historian Gann-Frangisk Abela noted that the area of Xew-kija has been inhabited since the very early times. This hypothesis is mainly based on a prehistoric temple at Xewkija. Trial excavations conducted in the meadows east of the parish church in 1904 continued to confirm this hypothesis. The region of Xewkija has been occupied since the Neolithic period. Malta and Gozo were settled by the Phoenicians in 700 BC， and afterwards by the Carthaginians. Punic4 artefacts have been found within the limits of Xewkija.

16世紀的歷史學家甘恩-弗朗吉斯科·阿貝拉認為，紹基亞地區很早便有人類居住。這一推測的主要依據是紹基亞的一座史前神廟。1904年在教區教堂東側草地上進行的試掘進一步證實了這一推測。紹基亞地區自新石器時代便有人類居住。公元前700年，腓尼基人在馬耳他和戈佐島定居，此后迦太基人也在此安家。在紹基亞地區還發現了布匿人的文物。

The Majmuna Stone with its Arabic inscription was discovered in this quaint town. It honours Maymnah， a young Arab woman who passed away in 1174， nearly a century after the Norman invasion of Malta in 1091. It is believed that Islam was the nation’s dominant religion before 1224. On the underside of the massive marble slab where the text is etched， there is a Roman sign. It was first translated into Italian by Brother Gabrijel D’Alappo， and then into Maltese. It has now been transferred to the Gozo Museum of Archaeology.

在這個古樸的小鎮上還發現了刻有阿拉伯文的邁穆娜石。這塊石板是為了紀念年輕的阿拉伯女性邁穆娜，她于1174年去世，距離1091年諾曼人入侵馬耳他將近一個世紀了。人們認為，1224年之前，伊斯蘭教是這個國家的主要宗教。在刻有文字的巨型大理石板底端，有一個羅馬標志。石板先是被加布里耶爾·達拉波修士翻譯成意大利語，然后又被翻譯成馬耳他語。現在它已被轉移到戈佐考古博物館。

The feast of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on the last Sunday of June. At around noon， the marching band performs throughout Xewkija’s main thoroughfares， often followed by a musically timed fireworks show.

6月的最后一個星期天是施洗約翰節。中午時分，游行樂隊會在整個紹基亞的主要大街上進行表演，之后往往還會有一場音樂煙花演出。

Some of the top Maltese stone masons from Gozo come from Xewkija. They are also renowned for their fishing prowess， and the fishermen of Xewkija have preserved the expertise of creating conventional cane fish traps.

戈佐島的一些頂級馬耳他石石匠都來自紹基亞。紹基亞人的捕魚能力也赫赫有名，當地漁民們仍保留著制作傳統藤條捕魚籠的手藝。

The coat of arms of Xewkija has a crimson horizontal strip between two thorns， one above and one below， on a gold backdrop. Xewkija’s motto is “Nemo me impune lacessit”， or “No one shall assault me with impunity.”.

紹基亞的紋章以金色為背景，中間是一條深紅色的橫條，兩根荊棘分別位于橫條的上下兩側。紹基亞的格言是“凡傷我者，必遭懲罰”。

Things to see and do in Xewkija

紹基亞必去景點

·" Xewkija Rotunda

·" 紹基亞穹頂教堂

The Rotunda， which has the third biggest unsupported dome in the world and is 28 metres in circumference and 75 metres in height， was constructed in the 20th century to honour St. John the Baptist. The enchanting dome is supported by eight concrete columns that are housed inside the striking white limestone building. The interior displays both the versatility and texture of local limestone as well as the skill of local artisans. The floor is polished Carrara5 marble， and the great altar is similarly sculpted from precious marble.

紹基亞穹頂教堂是在20世紀為紀念施洗約翰而建造的。穹頂周長28米、高75米，是世界上第三大無支撐穹頂。美輪美奐的穹頂由8根混凝土立柱架起，這些立柱被安置在醒目的白色石灰巖建筑內。內部設計既展示了當地石灰巖的多種用途和質地，也彰顯了當地工匠的高超技藝。地板是拋光的卡拉拉大理石，大祭壇同樣由珍貴的大理石雕刻而成。

·" Windmill

·" 風車

As one approaches the town， the remnants of a windmill from the Knights’ era that Grand Master Perellos had built may be spotted. This mill stands out from the others in Gozo due to its octagonal ground floor， which depicts the eight primary wind directions. Two parallel chambers and a spacious entry hall may be found in the windmill. In the middle of the structure is a spiral staircase going to the mill roof. Upstairs in the foyer is where the birth chamber is situated. The windmill was still in operation up until 1886.

人們走近小鎮時，可以看到由騎士團大首領佩雷洛斯建造的風車，這是自騎士時代留傳至今的遺跡。這座風車使戈佐島的其他風車相形見絀，因為它的底層是八角形的，描繪了八個主要風向。風車內部有兩個平行對置的房間和一個寬敞的門廳。建筑的中間是一個旋轉樓梯，通往風車頂。樓上的門廳是分娩室。這座風車直到1886年才停止運行。

·" M?arr ix-Xini Valley

·" 姆賈爾·錫尼山谷

The stunning， unspoiled M?arr ix-Xini Valley and access to the serene Bay of M?arr ix-Xini， a delightful area to swim， snorkel， and dive， are located on the coast beyond the town. In the winter and spring， Xewkija makes a great base for both trekking and abseiling. The lovely walk from the bay to the valley’s watchtower has just been refurbished， and it is now available to the public. It is most well-known abroad as the setting of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie “By the Sea”.

鎮外海岸邊坐落著景色迷人、保持原貌的姆賈爾·錫尼山谷，又通往寧靜的姆賈爾·錫尼灣，該海灣是游泳、浮潛和潛水的絕佳地點。冬春時節，紹基亞是山中徒步和繩降的勝地。從海灣到山谷瞭望塔那段景色秀美的步道剛被翻新，現已向公眾開放。布拉德·皮特和安吉麗娜·朱莉主演的電影《海岸情深》便是在此地取景，并使這里名揚海外。

·" Madonna Tal-?niena （Our Lady of Charity）

·" 仁慈圣母教堂

The ancient chapel known as Madonna tal-?niena （Our Lady of Charity） is also worth admiring. It is named in honour of Saint Bartholomew （San Bartilimew）， an apostle who was flayed alive as a kind of martyrdom. The chapel’s original fa?ade was quite plain and included a modest parvis up front. In order to provide travellers to and from the harbour with some cover during storms， Feli? Axiaq financed for the parvis’ roofing in 1705. Dun ?u?epp Attard， who took over maintenance of the church in 1933， constructed a new vestry and an adjacent hall for catechism instruction. The chapel was expanded between 1955 and 1956， and the parvis was added as part of the expansion.

古老的仁慈圣母教堂也值得游覽。它是為紀念圣巴塞洛繆而命名的。圣巴塞洛繆是一位被活活剝皮而殉道的使徒。教堂最初的外墻非常樸素，有一個簡陋的前庭。為給暴風雨期間來往于港口的旅客提供一些遮蔽，費利奇·阿克西亞克在1705年出資為前庭建造了雨遮。1933年，鄧恩·古澤普·阿塔爾德接管了教堂的修繕工作。他建造了一個新的祭衣室，并在隔壁建造了一間用于教理問答的大廳。教堂在1955年至1956年間進行了擴建，前庭也作為擴建的一部分被添加進來。

1 contrada〈意〉地區。" 2 casale〈意〉村莊。" 3 Maltese stone馬耳他石，一種產自馬耳他的特殊石材，剛開采時質地柔軟，可任意造型，但陽光晾曬后會變得無比堅硬。馬耳他幾乎所有建筑都以此種石材建成。

4在古羅馬文獻中，迦太基也被稱為“布匿”。

5意大利的一個城市，以開采白色或藍灰色大理石著稱。