The first stone of the ‘Ghajn tal-Hasselin’ project at the Apparition Square in Ghajnsielem, has been laid by the Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono. This will be the first of many for the historic arcade being rebuilt by the Ghajnsielem Local Council with the assistance from the Ministry of Gozo.

The ceremony got underway with a short band march by the St Joseph Band of Ghajnsielem from the main square. Mayor Francis Cauchi then gave the first speech, which was followed by a speech by the Gozo Minister. After the laying of the foundation stone, Fr Joe Cardona blessed the site.

The original arcade was built by Grandmaster Ramon Perellos in 1710 and was dismantled in the year 1953.

Under the strict supervision of an an archaeologist from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, excavations works started earlier this year, however the works had came to a halt due to the discovery of parts of the original walls including the back and side wall and part of the floor. These were still intact in their original state.

An opening leading to a World War II shelter was also found on the same site. Construction works is now expected to continue without any further delays.

It was in this square that ‘Ghajn Salem,’ the spring that gave its name to the village used to flow. And it was near this spring that an arcade and six stone wash basins were built by Grand Master Raymond Perellos for the increasing population of Ghajnsielem that had started to gather and form the community as it is known today.

For over two centuries, from dawn onwards the area around the spring was thronged with chattering woman who congregated there in the mornings, washing the laundry in the troughs while the men lazed their afternoons away under the canopy of mulberry trees.

Rare were the occasions when the spring remained idle. However, it became a problem to maintain the hygiene, with less and less care taken around the washing area and in the latter years of its existence, the arcade was left in an abandoned state, full of rotting rubbish until its removal in the early 1950’s to make way for a new square.

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