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8 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 2 AUGUST 2024 CULTURE The Village Square and the Rotunda Undoubtedly, the top place of where to go in Xewkija is the main square. Upon arriving at the square, you will experience the feel of the typical Gozitan village square, com- plete with community village clubs, small- er stores, restaurants and cafes. Step inside the massively grandiose rotunda admire the sheer space of the temple dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Initiated in 1951, the church, built in lo- cal honey-coloured globigerina limestone, is an architectural masterpiece with beau- tiful sculptures and a Carrara marble floor. The more recent scenic paintings from the life of St. John are by the Gozitan artist Paul Camilleri Cauchi. The church is adorned with stained glass windows that burst with amazingly bright and diaphanous colours as the sun's rays pour through them. Arch your neck upwards to follow the highest tip of the dome, consid- ered the third largest freestanding dome in the world. On one side of the church, in the sacris- ty, one can visit the older church, which was dismantled stone by stone when the newer church was built around it. This is yet another thing of what to see in Xewkija. The older church, which had served the parish since 1665, has been rebuilt as a museum to preserve the rich sculpture. If you're visiting the village in June, it is worth noting that the people of Xewkija go to great lengths to celebrate their patron saint and their village feast is associated with joyful revelry and street décor includ- ing a gigantic street umbrella under which the youngsters dance to the band marches to avoid Dominating the skyline on the southeastern side of the island of Gozo is the unmistakable dome of the Xewkija Rotunda church. But beyond the Rotunda dome, for which the village is widely known, there is so much to explore in Xewkija, which is one of the oldest villages on Gozo. Here is a list of things to see and places where to go in Xewkija when exploring the village. Discovering the village of