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Nature has been extremely generous to Nadur. The town stands on a top of a m agnificent plateau of about 160 metres above sea leveL The name itself recalls to mind centuries old traditions. The word derives from the fact that, in olden times, sentries watched day and night in order that no vessel might dare invade our islands with hostile intentions.
Today, the inlets on the left side of Nadur still provide
a wonderfiil landscape. Undoubtedly, the best known of
them is Ramla Bay. Today, it is a must for all those who
visit Gozo, and look for the island's natural beauties.
The best route that leads to Ramla is through Nadur. Maltese
and foreigners plunge themselves towards Ramla to enjoy
its wonderfiil beach and its unique reddish sands. But
those who are in search of historical spots can bring to
their mind the perilous days of the past, when the comfortable
landing through Ramla created a constant worry to our forefathers.
So much so that they had to set an armed watch tower over
it without any interruption.
The other two inlets, less known, but equally enchanting,
especially for the peace and quiet that surrounds
them are known as Dahlet Oorrot and San Blas. Particular
small areas in the territory of Nadur, as one of
the above, owe their names to chapels, which up to the
first decades of the seventeenth century were scattered
here and there. Two of them were dedicated to St.
Blaise and St. Philip. As a matter of fact, there are still
two indentations of the sea into land with quite
a wide opening named after these two saints.
The territory of Nadur is also one of the richest
in its vegetation. Orchards and cultivated
fields provided the daily living to our forefathers. Country
houses, here and there, were the residence
of many Nadur inhabitants who gained there living on what
they laboriously produced.
Quite a good number of others gained their
daily bread as fishermen, in a period when
the fishing industry was still primitive
in our islands. Parochial records still witness
particular fatal disasters of a number
of Nadur inhabitants who lost their lives in a sea tempest
when their fishing boats drowned down.
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The territory of Nadur was very well known among the Maltese of even more than 300 years old. The island of Gozo often supplied crops and fruits to some towns and villages of Malta. But those who lived in Victoria, Gozo's capital, often enviously complained against the superior advantages of the Nadur inhabitants. In fact, farmers were selling their products directly to the Maltese, without any control of the local government. On the other hand, some benefits that Malta was exchanging with Gozo stopped in Nadur.
In fact, the main Gozo harbour, which is that of Mgarr, was in the territory of Nadur. Due to this, as time passed by, friendly contacts between the Maltese and the inhabitants of Nadur never ceased. When times changed to the better, and there were no social or political problems on account of commercial interests, Nadur, more than any other Gozo town, invited Maltese groups, or philarmonic bands for special festivities.
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Today, the main attraction of Nadur is its magnificent Basilica dedicated to the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. This wonderfiil monumental temple evokes to memory centuries old historical facts.
Over 300 years ago, in 1688, The Bishop
of Malta and Gozo Davide Cocco Palmeri created four new
parishes for Gozo. One of them was that of Nadur. At that
time, in the heart of the town, there was no church which
was big enough for parochial functions for over 500 inhabitants.
The last church that still existed up to some years before
was that of St. John the Baptist. But, at that time, it
was in a disastrous structural state.
Just for a few years, the Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception at the outskirts of Qala, but in
the territory of Nadur, carried out all parochial duties.
Not later than 1695, a new parochial church, dedicated
to the Princes of the Apostles was constructed on top of
the Nadur hill.
An unauthentic story handed down that a
donkey, loaded with stones, owned by a holy man named Girgor
Buttigieg, pointed out the site where the church
was to be built, by stopping stubbornly on
the highest top of the Nadur hill.
Popularly, for centuries, this legend was
curiously held as historical. But, undoubtedly, the church's
site was determined through a generous
donation of that ground by Grand Master Gregorio Caraffa.
I fact, the place where the church had
to be built, was described by Bishop Cocco Palmeri
hisnself more than a year before the election
of the first parish priest of Nadur.
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A Monumental church
The population of Nadur increased without any interruption. After less than a century since the decree of Bishop Cocco Palmeri, it was more than three times as much. The first parochial church resulted to be too small for that town. In a period of poverty, Parish Priest Salvatore Galea (1743 - 1778) courageously engaged the Maltese Architect Giuseppe Bonnici to plan for the building of a new and much bigger church on the same site of the first one. The church was built and inaugurated in 1804, by the following parish priest Francesco Sapiano.
But again Archpriest John Camilleri, after
that the church was granted the title of a Collegiate in
1894, planned for its enlargement. It was shortly after
that the same Archpriest had brought from Marseille in
France, in 1884, a beautiful titular statue made of papier-mache
that represents the glorious patron saints of Nadur.
Especially Archpriest Martin Camilleri.
(1910 - 1921) couldn't ever be forgotten for his energy
and dedication in moving on the magnificent projects for
the Nadur Church. Francesco Saverto Sciortino designed
the construction of the aisles, dome and facade in the
style of the Italian Renaissance. The italian sculptor
Pio Cellini worked on the architectural decorations. The
Maltese painter Lazzaro Pisani depicted the ceiling with
episodes that refer to the life of St. Peter and St Paul.
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On June 26, 1967, the Nadur monumental church was honoured with the title of a Basilica.
Two most distinguished persons Michele Francesco Buttigieg
(the first Bishop of the new diocese of Gozo) and Archpnest
Saverio Cassar (head of a provisional government during
the French occupation) were born in the territory of Nadur,
and baptized in this parochial church.
Through this century, many ihabitants of Nadur migrated
to America and Australia. Some of them returned
with an amount of wealth and built splendid villas at the
outskirts of Nadur. Others never returned again
to Nadur. But they still remember the town where they
were born, and they still honour St. Peter and
St. Paul through a statue identical to that of Nadur, as
it happened in Australia. Others occasionally visit
their relatives, and they are glad to organise
their holidays in Gozo in the months of June and July when
the Nadur basilica solemnly celebrates the festivity
of St. Peter and St. Paul.
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Today, Nadur is still one of the biggest towns of Gozo, the sister island of Malta. But, up to mid nineteenth century, its territory was more than twice as much. It still included the bordering villages of Qala and Ghajnsie1em with Mgarr Harbour. Besides, the minute island of Comino, lying in the narrow channel that separates Malta from Gozo, was considered to be in the district of Nadur.