Ħaġra ta’ Sansuna

Il-Ħaġra ta’ Sansuna (Sansuna’s Rock) is an irregularly shaped slab of hard Coralline limestone located at Ġnien Imrik in the outskirts of Xagħra.

The rock is about four metres in length and is partially propped up from one end by smaller stones. It may have originally formed part of a dolmen dating to the Bronze Age period, however this has never been supported by an archaeological investigation.

But who was Sansuna, you might wonder, bearing in mind that Sansuna in Maltese is the female version of Sansun – namely Samson, the Biblical figure known for his tremendous physical strength.

The rock has been the subject of various imaginary and folkloristic tales, most notably those recorded by the Jesuit historian Fr Manuel Magri. In his publication ‘Ħrejjef Missijietna’ (Tales of Our Forefathers), Sansuna features as a strong giantess who inhabited Gozo in a long-forgotten past and whose primary occupaton was to carry megaliths across the island.