Ħamrun

Ħamrun is a town in the Inner Harbour Region of Malta, with a population of 8,800 people (Nov 2010).

The villagers are traditionally known as Tas-Sikkina (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as Ta' Werwer (which literally means 'those who scare' or more colloquially, 'the scary ones'). This appellation could stem from the trouble-making image that the local football club, Ħamrun Spartans, was known for[citation needed] or that a considerable number of Hamrunizi used to work as stevedores on the docks and thus carried a knife at all times. Another theory was that the community of Sicilians who settled here illegally in the 16th century danced a traditional dance which involved the wielding of small stilettos which they carried in their socks, waving them in the air and back to their sheaths.

 Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church

Churches

Our Lady of Atocja Chapel is the oldest chapel in Ħamrun.. Madonna tas-Samra.jpg|thumb|left|Our Lady of Atocja]] It was built in the early 17th century by a merchant trader who brought the painting of the Madonna from Atocha in Spain. The people from Ħamrun refer to it as Tas-Samra.

 Christ the Redeemer, St Cajetan Parish, Ħamrun

 

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church is the Motherhouse of the Society of Christian Doctrine founded by Saint George Preca. In fact, he was buried in the crypt of the Church. On a Wednesday, in Passiontide, a Procession of Christ the Redeemer walks through "Strada Rjali" (Ħamrun Main Road). The Procession starts adjacent to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church and ends when the Statue of Jesus Christ is inside Saint Cajetan Sanctuary. The procession is accompanied by band funeral marches and the 1st Ħamrun Scout Group.

The Chapel of Porto Salvo was built in 1736 and it was conceived as a village chapel. It is built in the Baroque Style. Today the chapel is used mostly for the adoration of the Holy Eucharist. The local refer to the chapel as Ta' Santu Nuzzo.

 Purcissjoni ta' Gesu' Redentur, Ħamrun

Immaculate Conception Parish Church was built in the 1960s to cater for the large population of Ħamrun. In architectural terms the church has a very plain and neat design. In 1973 it became the first parish to receive the Neocatechumenal Way, from where it spread to another 26 parishes in the Maltese Islands. The Neocatechumenal Way is also present in St. Cajetan Parish. Together these two parishes have 13 'communities' with around 450 members.

St. Francis of Assisi Church was built in the 1950s by the Franciscan Community to cater for the local community.

Saint Cajetan Sanctuary

St. Gaetan Parish Church was built in the latter half of the 19th century. Originally it was intended to name the church for St. Joseph however Bishop Gaetano Pace Forno wanted to name the church for his patron saint. The church is built in a Neo-Gothic style. Its interior was painted by Emvin Cremona. The statue of Saint Cajetan was done by Carlo Darmanin.

 Interior of Saint Cajetan Sanctuary

Feast

The Patron Saints of Ħamrun are 'San Gejtanu', 'Kunċizzjoni' and San Ġuzepp. St Gaetan feast is celebrated on the first Sunday after August 7 and the Immaculate Conception feast is celebrated in the first Sunday of July. St. Gaetan's feast generates a lot of commerce in the Hamrun district. The Parish Church of St. Gejtanu was designed by George Schinas. Construction of the church was finished in 1875. The titular painting was done by Pietro Gagliardi in Rome. The statue of San Gejtanu is the work of eminent Maltese sculptor Charles Darmanin and was completed in 1885.

St Cajetan Church

There are 3 Town band clubs in Hamrun. St Gaetan's Band Club, St Joseph and the Immaculate Conception band, the only band in the Immaculate Conception Parish. San Gejtanu's, or as it is also known "tat-Tamal" and St. Joseph's, or as it is also known "Tal-Miskina", hold marathon marches "Marċ tal-brijju" on the day of the feast starting early in the morning and ending late in the afternoon. There is great rivalry between the two band clubs, which makes for one of the most exciting feasts in Malta. The two band clubs are associated with two different colours; red for San Gejtanu's Band Club and blue for St. Joseph's Band Club. Supporters of the band clubs surround their respective marching band decked out in clothes and head bands and carrying flags of the same colour as that of their club. Hand-held fire works, especially noisy ones, are set off along the parade route and supporters shower the bands and their supporters with streamers and confetti from balconies and roofs. At times, the confetti look like a heavy snow storm. Little children run around playing with the mounds of paper that are left behind the marching bands.

 St Cajetan Church

In the evening, local band clubs play on a band stand adjacent to the parish church. Locals and visitors walk back and forth along the main street under colourful lights and banners. The streets are lined with statues of saints and angels. The procession leaves the church early in the evening and winds its way around the city. The fiesta ends with a spectacular run up the stairs of the Parish Church. Volunteers carrying the statue of the Patron Saint take a "girja" (run) up the stairs under the watchful eyes of parishioners, visitors and tourists. This traditional ending of the boisterous local feast dates back to 1898. The run is usually accompanied by an equally spectacular and noisy fire works display and loud cheers and clapping from the crowds.

 Procession with the Statue of Saint Cajetan

Besides the feast of St. Cajetan, Hamrun celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception both on the first Sunday of July and on the 8th of December with great fervour and delight. The titular statue of the Immaculate Conception is held with great esteem due to the admiration it drew from the great pontiff Leo XIII who on seeing its magnificence bestowed on it the honour of serving as a tangible means for grace through the distribution of an indulgence to whoever expresses devotion towards it.

 Procession with the Statue of San Gejtanu

The feast of the Immaculate Conception is quite different from that of St. Cajetan. Rather than focusing on the external more energetic and lively side of the feast, it is a feast which is much more muted and the parish's only band club guarantees a total absence of rivalry.

Sanctuary Lighten Up for Festa

Transport

Ħamrun can boast that several historic transport services used to pass through it. The most notable means of transport that used to pass in Ħamrun was the train or il-vapur ta' l-art. Today the former train station is used as the headquarters for the Ħamrun Scout group which is one of the oldest scout groups in the world. Another transport service which used to pass through the town was that of the Tram.

Ħamrun doesn't have a bus terminus but several bus services call at Ħamrun: 71, 74, 75, 80, 81, 82,84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 157, 159, 890.

1st Hamrun Pipe Band

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Żurrieq

Żurrieq is one of the oldest towns in Malta, and has a population of 12,000 inhabitants (Jul 2010). Żurrieq is situated in the South West of Malta. The first documentation about it being a parish dates back to 1436 dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria. The island of Filfla is administratively a part of the town. The town strecthes from In Nigret to Hal far respectively in old times the town was a border with Zejtun. There were small villages part of Zurrieq including Qrendi, Birzebbuga, Hal Millieri, Hal Lew, Hal Manin, Bubaqra, Tal Baqqari, Hal Far, Hlantun, Hal Niklusi, Has Sejjih, Hal Qadim, Hal Arrig, Hal Gawhar, Hal Ghabdirzaq.

 Blue Grotto.

Żurrieq is part of the Fifth political District and votes for the local council every three years. The council is made up of nine members, one of them is the Mayor of the town. The present Mayor of Żurrieq is Silvio Izzi Savona. The parish Arch-priest being Rev. Charles Attard, helped by Rev. Raymond Cassar, Rev. Glenn Buhagiar, Rev. Carmel Busuttil and Rev. Nazzareno Tonna and Decon Luke Seguna.

Wardija Tower.

History

The Village of Zurrieq claims for a large area of the South Eastern part of the Island of Malta, in which village we find a wide collection going back to the Bronze and Punic times, through the Roman, Knights and British eras. The village in itself is to a large extent adorned with houses and buildings of historical value dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.

 Xarolla Windmill.

We find the first historical reference of this village back in 1400. The villages of Hal Lew, Hal Millieri, Hal Manin, Bubaqra, Hal Far, Nigret and Qrendi used to make part of the village itself, until in 1618 the village of Qrendi became a village of its own while the others dissolved in a natural way with their area now making an integral part of the village perimeter.

Numerous ruins and remaining structures indicate the flow of the village through the time. These indicate the various settlements of peoples that inhabited the village area, from the Phoenicians to the Carathaginians, Greeks to the Romans. The remains found indicate these peoples as ancestors to the village, yet without excluding the possibility of other peoples, this village is rich in ruins and remains which in future may shed new light on its ancestors. Proof of this may be seen namely in remains such as the Punic Tower, Xarolla Catacombs, Cart Ruts at 'Tal-Bakkari', 'Tal-Hlantun Tower' and many others

Ruins

Żurrieq is situated 6.8 km in a direct line from the City of Valletta, and features a wide collection of ruins and remains dating back to the Bronze and Punic times, through the Roman, Knights and British eras. Structures dating back to the 15th and 16th century are scattered throughout the village.

The ruins have characteristics which identify the various settlements of peoples that inhabited the village area — from the Phoenicians to the Carthaginians, Greeks to the Romans. Examples of such remains include the Punic Tower, Xarolla Catacombs, Cart Ruts at Tal-Bakkari, and Tal-Hlantun Tower. The village has a very Big number of chapels and historical places such as the Xarolla Windmill, Armery, Plazzo Ganbatist, Wardija Tower, Bubaqra Tower and many other places of interest. Żurrieq is also well known for the beach in Wied iż-Żurrieq and the Blue Grotto that can be found found near Wied Babu.

Towers

In the village of Zurrieq, one will find various archaeological remains dating back from various periods. One of these early findings was discovered in 1885, in the land known as ta' Danieri limits of tal-Hlewwa. In this location Phoenician tombs were discovered containing the remains of three human skeletons and some pottery. On 1 August 1911, another tomb was found in the fields known as tal-Gharghariet limits of Nigret. In the area known as tal-Bakkari ruins were unearthed of a chapel, built on even older remains of what is thought to be a Roman temple.

One should mention that in the same site, in 1921, pottery dating back to either Punic or Roman times was found in an underground cistern just under the ruins of the same chapel. Some relics were thought to be even of a former period, namely the bronze age. This would indicate that the same sight was used through the ages various peoples, though always for a spiritual purpose. One should also mention that a couple of metres from this sight, one will find the ruins of one of the towers which is referred to as Torri tal-Bakkari, which was constructed out of the same type and size of stone as those found in the chapel's ruins. On 6 September 1920, this tower was identified and compared with the ruins of two other towers partially standing and in a better preserved condition.

The other two towers are known as tat-Torrijiet and tal-Gawhar situated in the areas known as ta' Wilga and tal-Hlantun respectively. There are still contestations to their exact period, yet features may lead one to associate the towers to Bronze or Punic times. All three towers are of a perfect round shape and made of the same type of large stones, typically used long before Roman time, which is the period given by some. This may be determined from near investigation on the site of tal-Gawhar, were various features in the stone can be observed, such as altar shapes, holes to contain liquid like those used for sacrifice of blood, and other holes which could be used to tie up animals near the same altar .

Tombs

In August 1926, a tomb was discovered near the Xarolla Windmill, and from further investigations done on the 6th of the same month, it was determined that the tomb had already been touched and relics taken away, but there were still some pottery dating back to 200 A.D. Today these Paleo-Christian tombs are being excavated to their full extent after adjacent tombs were discovered in 1995, which now indicates a burial area of a larger size which could only belong to a large settlement in the area. In these tombs, one may find very interesting architectural features rarely found in similar tombs on the island. The size of the area containing the tombs indicate that in the area, there has always been a considerably large community, a settlement marking the area in time. There is the possibility that a Roman road passes through the area which would link the settlement in a both to northwest and the south of the island. The same road may date even prior to Roman settlement and there are indications that the Halfar Dolmen, the towers at tal-Bakkari and tat-Toirrijiet, the catacombs at tax-Xarolla, Hal Millieri and il-Mentna at Mqabba, are all on a perfect line.

On the 15th of March, 1930 a tomb was excavated containing human bones and roman pottery dating to the 7th century B.C.. On the 3rd of September, 1935 in a field known as 'Ta' Farrat', near the Xarolla Windmill, a tomb was found dating to the periods of the Carthaginians and Phoenicians, containing as well Roman pottery remains. On the 13th of June, 1930, a Roman tomb was uncovered in Hal Far in the area known as tal-Bakkari, another on the 4th of July, 1956, and another on the 5th of March, 1956, which were all excavated down in the rock and found containing Roman pottery of the third period.

On the 13th of July, 1938, Dun Gwann Farrugia asked the Museums authority to look into a building found in the gardens of the archpriest of Zurrieq. One will find reference to these remains in the book by J. Houel, Voyage Pittoresque de Sicile, Malte et Lipari. He claims that these remains date back to the Greek period. Unfortunately today only a small tower belonging to a larger building remains, known due to the actual dating of the same tower, as the Punic Tower. This tower is of great interest for the fact that punic remains on the island a scarce. The structure of the tower is made of stone cut in large perfectly square blocks and put together with great precision with the use of round dowels (mincotti) to hold the same blocks in place.

Windmills

According to Chev. Guze Galea 'in 1674, Grandmaster Nicolo Cottoner, built five windmills around Malta. One of these was the windmill built in Nigret, Zurrieq, known 'tal-Qaret'. After some time, in 1724, Grandmaster re-built another windmill next to it, known as ta' Marmara, which was the surname of the first person to work in the same windmill, Luret Marmara.

The windmill known as tas-Salib, was built by the Gafa' family, and knows its name to the village cross situated just to the south west of the same windmill. Another windmill is that known as tax-Xarolla, was built by Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena, in 1724. In 1992, this was restored to its original working order is now the only functioning windmill in the islands of Malta and Gozo. This is a valuable witness of local culture and heritage still has parts of theoriginal mechanisms and can still grain the wheat. In the year 2000, this building was passed over to be administered by the Zurrieq Local Council and is intended to serve also as a cultural centre.

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St. Julian's

St Julian's (Maltese: San Ġiljan) is a town in Malta situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and nightclubs, centred mostly in an area known as Paceville.

History

Before 1800 there was practically nothing standing in the area today called San Ġiljan, except for Spinola Palace, the old church, and a few fishermen’s huts and farmers’ dwellings dotting the countryside.

However in the area known as Mensija (located in suburb called San Gwann) one finds a set of cart-ruts of the late Bronze Age period. Of the Roman period one finds also a couple of tombs discovered by P.F.Bellanti in the early 20th century in the Tal-Ballut district on the site now occupied by the Chapel of the Sacred Heart Convent. One finds also the remains of a round Roman tower, one in a chain of some eight other similar ones on Malta; this lies at ta’ Cieda at the top of present-day Triq il-Korvu, Kappara. This site was later used as a Saracenic burial ground. There are also Arab influences such as the name of the valley – Wied Ghomor. Both tal-Ballut - name of a type of tree, and tas- Sliema are Muslim personal names in Sicily.

Because of fear of attacks by the Muslims, the Northern Coastal area remained undeveloped until the diminished attacks after 1565. The building of Spinola Palace, coming as it does in 1688, is to be regarded as the stepping stone for the coastal reclamation of San Ġiljan. The palace, together with the surrounding gardens, was built by Fra Paola Raffaele Spinola for the public entertainment as stated in the inscription which one finds above the portico. The palace was enlarged in 1733 through the efforts of Fra Giovanni Battista Spinola, Bali of the order and successor to his uncle as rector and Curator of the abbazia. During the French occupation of these islands in 1798, French troops were stationed in the palace and wrought havoc there. In fact it is thanks to them that the Order’s emblem atop the clock on the façade was mutilated.

The Old Parish Church

The earliest documentary evidence of this church is of the pastoral visit of Bishop Tommaso Gargallo of 1601, which he says was built in 1580 and was dedicated to Saint Julian. In 1736, when Monsignor Alpheran de Bussan re-visited Saint Julian's, he noted that the locality was already known as Portus Sancti Juliani, meaning after the patron saint, evidence that the previous medieval name Qaliet Gnien il-Fieres was placed aside. In 1854, the 600 residents of Saint Julian's appealled to the church authority, in order to make it a parish. The chapter at Birkirkara protested strongly against such an application and consequently the application was denied; but it was granted at reapplication in 1891. Dun Guzepp Scerri became the first parish priest.

Patron Saint

The town is named after the patron saint of the town, Saint Julian, widely known as Julian the Hospitaller and also as Julian the Poor. Before the reform to the Calendar of Saints, the memorial to St Julian was on January 27. Nowadays, the is celebrated on February 12, though in Malta an additional feast, in the spirit of the many summer festas around the island, is celebrated on the last Sunday of August.

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