Comino

The W coast of Comino, amongst St Mary's Tower equally seen from the Gozo-Malta ferry

Comino (Maltese: Kemmuna) is an isle of the Maltese archipelago betwixt the islands of Republic of Malta in addition to Gozo inwards the Mediterranean Sea, measurement 1.35 foursquare miles (3.5 km2) inwards area. Named after the cumin seed that in i lawsuit flourished inwards the Maltese islands, Comino is noted for its tranquillity in addition to isolation. It has a permanent population of simply iv residents. One priest in addition to i police officer commute from the nearby isle of Gozo, to homecoming their services to the local population in addition to summertime visitors. Today, Comino is a plane sanctuary in addition to nature reserve. Administratively it is business office of the municipality of Għajnsielem, inwards southeastern Gozo.

History

Comino is known to convey been inhabited past times farmers during Roman times, withal for long periods inwards its history it has been sparsely populated, privately owned, or abandoned entirely.

Its rugged coastline is delineated past times sheer limestone cliffs, in addition to dotted amongst deep caves which were pop amongst pirates in addition to marauders inwards the Middle Ages. The caves in addition to coves of Comino were oft used equally staging posts for raids on pitiful boats crossing betwixt Republic of Malta in addition to Gozo. In later years, the Knights of Republic of Malta used this isle equally hunting in addition to recreational grounds. The Knights were fiercely protective of the local game, which consisted of wild boar in addition to hares (Maltese: fenek tal-grixti): upon conviction, poachers were liable to a penalisation of iii years equally a galley slave.

 The Blue Lagoon at boat marking amongst Kemmunett (Cominotto) inwards background

From 1285 until some fourth dimension after 1290, Comino was the domicile of exiled prophetic cabbalist Abraham Abulafia. It was on Comino that Abulafia composed his "Sefer ha-Ot" (The Book of the Sign), in addition to his final work, "Imre Shefer" (Words of Beauty).

In the 16th in addition to 17th centuries, Comino served equally a house of imprisonment or exile for errant knights. Knights who were convicted of youngster crimes were occasionally sentenced to the lonely in addition to unsafe describe of manning St. Mary's Tower.

In the past, in addition to good into the 20th century, whenever the seas were likewise stone oil for the Gozitan priest to brand the crossing to Comino for the celebration of Holy Mass, the local community would get together on the rocks at a business office of the Island known equally Tal-Ħmara, in addition to gaze across the channel towards the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks (Maltese: il-Madonna tal-Blat), inwards Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Gozo, where Mass was beingness celebrated. They followed along amongst the progression of the Mass past times agency of a complex flag code.

On six March 1889 the British battleship HMS Sultan grounded on an uncharted stone inwards the Comino Channel, ripping her bottom open. She slow flooded and, inwards a gale on fourteen March 1889 she slipped off the stone in addition to sank. The Italian theatre of Baghino & Co raised her inwards August for a fee of £50,000. On 27 August Sultan was brought into Malta.

St. Mary's Tower

St. Mary's Tower is the most visible construction on the island. Its background dates dorsum to 1416, when the Maltese petitioned their king, Alfonso V of Aragon, to build a tower on Comino to serve equally an early on alert organization inwards illustration of invasion, in addition to to deter marauding Turks, pirates, smugglers in addition to corsairs from using Comino equally a hiding house in addition to staging Earth for devastating sorties onto the sis islands of Republic of Malta in addition to Gozo.[3] Two years later the manly mortal monarch levied a especial taxation on imported vino to heighten funds for this project, but diverted the monies into his coffers; the isle remained undefended for some other 2 hundred years.

Finally, inwards 1618 the Knights of Republic of Malta nether Grandmaster Wignacourt erected St. Mary's Tower (Maltese: it-Torri ta' Santa Marija), located roughly inwards the optic of the southern coast of the island. The tower formed business office of a chain of defensive towers — the Wignacourt, Lascaris, in addition to De Redin towers — located at advantage points along the coastline of the Maltese Islands, in addition to greatly improved communications betwixt Republic of Malta in addition to Gozo. The tower is a large, foursquare edifice amongst iv corner turrets, located well-nigh fourscore metres higher upwards body of body of water level. The Tower itself is well-nigh 12 metres tall, amongst walls that are closed to six metres thick, in addition to is raised on a platform in addition to plinth that are closed to 8 metres high.

During the French Blockade (1798–1800), St. Mary's Tower served equally a prison theatre for suspected spies. In 1829 the British Military abandoned the site. For several decades it was deemed to live on belongings of the local civil authorities, in addition to may convey been used equally an isolation hospital, or fifty-fifty equally a wintering pen for farm animals. The tower in i lawsuit again saw active service during both World War I in addition to World War II. Since 1982 the tower has been the belongings of the Armed Forces of Malta. It right away serves equally a picket in addition to staging post to guard against contraband in addition to the illegal hunting of migratory birds at sea.

St. Mary's Tower underwent extensive restoration betwixt 2002 in addition to 2004. Today, it remains the most notable construction on Comino, in addition to provides a finish for tourists taking walks about the Island.

Other buildings in addition to structures

A tiny Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to the Sacred Family Upon its Return from Arab Republic of Egypt is located higher upwards Santa Marija Bay. Built inwards 1618, in addition to enlarged inwards 1667 in addition to in i lawsuit again inwards 1716, the chapel was originally dedicated to the Annunciation. It has been desecrated in addition to reconsecrated at to the lowest degree in i lawsuit inwards its history, when Comino was devoid of residents. The earliest tape of a chapel on this site dates dorsum to the twelfth century, in addition to tin ship away live on seen inwards a navigational map of the period, located inwards the National Maritime Museum in addition to Royal Observatory inwards Greenwich, London.Mass is celebrated inwards the chapel on Sat nights in addition to Lord's Day mornings for the residents, hotel staff in addition to tourists.

St. Mary's Battery, built inwards 1716, at the same fourth dimension equally diverse other batteries about the coastline of mainland Malta, is situated facing the South Comino Channel. It is a semi-circular construction amongst a set out of embrasures facing the sea. The Battery silent houses 2 24-pound Fe cannons, in addition to remains inwards a fair reason of preservation mainly due to its remote location. Its armament originally included iv 6-pound Fe cannons. The Battery underwent restoration inwards 1996 past times the Maltese heritage preservation society, Din l-Art Ħelwa. St. Mary's Redoubt, an additional defensive structure, was also constructed inwards 1716 on the northern coast of Comino, withal it was afterward demolished.The Knights also constructed regular army barracks on Comino. In the early on 20th century the barracks were periodically used equally an isolation hospital.

Comino Hotel, amongst its 2 individual beaches, a 1960s development, is located higher upwards San Niklaw Bay. There are also vacation bungalows past times Santa Marija Bay. There is a constabulary station located betwixt the vacation bungalows in addition to the chapel.