Kerch ( Malta. Kerċem ) is a village on the island of Gozo , Malta , with a population of 1,665 people (November 2005 ).
| Village | |||||
| Kerch | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerċem | |||||
| |||||
| A country |  Malta | ||||
| Chapter | Joseph Grima ( NPM ) | ||||
| History and geography | |||||
| Square | 5.5 km² | ||||
| Center height | |||||
| Timezone | UTC + 1 , in the summer UTC + 2 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 1665 people ( 2005 ) | ||||
| kercem.gozo.com | |||||
The village of Kerch lies in the southeast of the city of Victoria between the picturesque valley of Lunzyata and the hills of Tal Mixta, Ar-Ilma and Tadbiegi and rests on the Xlendi rock. These scenic spots around the village attract many landscape painters.
Archaeological excavations in this area indicate that the area was inhabited by people in the Ghar-Dalam period, i.e. 7400 years ago. The most ancient monuments of history here are the Roman baths and catacombs , as well as the early Christian cemetery that has survived to our day.
The village began to actively develop in the Middle Ages , growing mainly around the ancient chapel in honor of Pope Gregory the Great , built around 1581 . The village became more important when the traditional annual procession in honor of Gregory the Great from the church in Rabat began to be arranged in this village chapel on March 12th . In 1851, the chapel was rebuilt into a parish church, and at the beginning of the 20th century it expanded further with new buildings. In 1885, the church was also dedicated to the Virgin Mary Helper , which made her the only temple on Gozo , dedicated to two saints. Currently, the festival in honor of the Virgin Mary is the main religious event in the village and takes place on the second Sunday of July.
In the countryside of San Rafflu, located in close proximity to Kercham, the Adira Fair is held annually, which is a popular place for family fun. The coloring of the fair is given by traditional music, food and drinks, as well as various contests and other entertainment.