Senglea ( mt, L-Isla ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

South Eastern Region The South Eastern Region ( mt, Reġjun Xlokk) is one of five regions of Malta. The region includes the southeastern part of the main island of Malta, including the capital Valletta. The region borders the Central and Southern Regions. It was ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It is one of the

Three Cities The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. ...

in the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and ...

area, the other two being

Cospicua Cospicua ( mt, Bormla ), also known by its titles Città Cospicua or Civitas Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. Along with Birgu and Senglea, it is one of the Three Cities, located within the Grand ...

and

Vittoriosa Birgu ( mt, Il-Birgu , it, Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ("''Victorious City''"), is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of ...

, and has a population of approximately 2,720 people. The city's title Città Invicta was given because it managed to resist the Ottoman invasion at the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...

in 1565. The name Senglea comes from the Grand Master who built it

Claude de la Sengle Fra' Claude de la Sengle (1494 – 18 August 1557) was the 48th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1553 to his death in 1557. His successor was Fra' Jean Parisot de Valette. A native Frenchman, Sengle, then Bailli of the French langu ...

and gave the city a part of his name. While Senglea is the 52nd most populated locality on the island, due to its incredibly small land area, it is the 2nd most densely populated locality after

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...

History

Calvert Jones, The Dockyard at Senglea, Malta 1846

During the time of the Knights of St. John, Senglea was also used as a

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

area, and was known as ''L'Isola di San Giuliano''. In 1311 St. Julian's church or chapel was founded in Isola. This was the first building to be constructed on what later became Senglea. On 8 May 1552 the foundation stone of Fort St.Michael was laid. Work on the fort, which was designed by Architect Pedro Pardo, was completed in 1553. Construction of walled town Senglea took place during the following decade. The area, which had until the 1550s been known as Isola di San Giuliano or Isola di San Michele, was given city status by Grand Master Claude De La Sengle and was named after him. Senglea played an important role in the

in 1565 and remained unconquered. The city was given the title ''Civitas Invicta'' (meaning "Unconquered City") by Grand Master

Jean Parisot de Valette Fra' Jean "Parisot" de la Valette (4 February 1495 – 21 August 1568) was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller, joining the order in the ''Langue de P ...

. In 1581 Senglea became a Parish dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lady. The donation of the statue of Our Lady, popularly known as "Il-Bambina", is estimated to have occurred in 1618. Thousands of inhabitants of the city were killed in a plague epidemic in 1676. In 1798, Senglea was involved in the blockade against French forces, who were ousted from Malta in 1800. The city narrowly escaped being hit by another plague in 1813; a statue of Our Lady was erected in the city's centre as a sign of gratitude. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

was bestowed with the title of Basilica by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

in 1921. Senglean-born Ignazio Panzavecchia was elected as the first

Prime Minister of Malta The prime minister of Malta ( mt, Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The P ...

in the first Self Government Constitution in the same year. Because of his ecclesiastical status he decided not to take up the position. Following Panzavecchia's refusal Joseph Howard was appointed as Prime Minister. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Senglea suffered heavy bombardments which devastated most of the city and killed many of its citizens. On 16 January 1941 a blitz by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

on HMS ''Illustrious'', docked at the nearby Corradino, caused 21 fatalities and destroyed most of the city's buildings including the Basilica.

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

visited the devastated city on 20 June 1943. The newly built Basilica was consecrated by Archbishop Sir

Mikiel Gonzi Sir Michael Count Gonzi, (born Mikiel Gonzi: 13 May 1885 – 22 January 1984), was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta from 1944 until 1976. He had been enthroned as Bishop of Malta in December 1943, and was consecrated as the first Archbisho ...

on 24 August 1957. The following day the Basilica resumed its normal functions after almost 16 years and the statue of Marija Bambina was placed inside its new "temple" amongst huge celebrations.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

visited Senglea in May 1990. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Luftwaffe bombing of the city, a monument which honours the local victims of both World Wars was unveiled besides the Basilica on 5 September 1991. The first Local Council of Senglea was formed after an election on 3 March 1994. The first mayor of the city was Stephen Perici. The

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

city of

Cassino Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Southern Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio, the last city of the Latin Valley. Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari and Liri rive ...

became a twin city with Senglea in 2003. In 2010 Senglea won a

European Destinations of Excellence European Destinations of ExcelleNce, also known by the acronym EDEN, is an initiative launched by the European Commission promoting sustainable tourism development models across Europe. The project is based on national competitions which take plac ...

award for aquatic tourism.

Culture

Senglea is particularly famous for the statue of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

the Redeemer (''Ir-Redentur tal-Isla''), located in the oratory of the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

which is dedicated to the birth of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

(''Marija Bambina''). File:Redentur4.JPG, The Redeemer File:SengleaBasilica.jpg, Senglea Basilica File:B3.jpg, Marija Bambina File:Richard Ellis, Isla.png, Parish feast in Isla in the 1910s, by Richard Ellis Senglea also has a statue dedicated to

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, which is often referred to as ''Il-Madonna tan-Nofs'', literally meaning "Our Lady of the Centre". It was originally erected in the city centre during the time of the plague, as gratitude, for being the only town not contaminated. The local band club is currently named "Socjeta' Filarmonika La Vincitrice". The city's semi-professional football team Senglea Athletic was formed in 1934 to replace the defunct Senglea United side.

Population

With an area of just over half a square mile, Senglea is Malta's smallest locality. It is also its most densely populated. Around the start of the 20th century, Senglea had more than 8200 people, making it the most densely populated town in Europe. At the time, Senglea, as well as

, were the centre of Malta's

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...

and intelligentsia. The Second World War rapidly altered its social structure as many left to take refuge in outlying towns and countryside, never to return. In recent years, rehabilitation of the Cottonera Waterfront as a yacht marina has spurred a lot of interest from foreign expatriates and businessmen. A March 2011 estimate put its population at 2,964. Its population stood at 2,821 as of March 2013, and this decreased to 2,784 in March 2014.

Transport

Senglea is linked to the capital city of

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

by a network of bus services. Prior to their introduction in the early 20th century, the cities were connected by boat services. In July 2011, following the introduction of a new bus network by

Arriva Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Francesco Zahra Francesco Vincenzo Zahra ( mt, Franġisk Żahra, 15 December 1710 – 19 August 1773) was a Maltese painter who mainly painted religious works in the Neapolitan Baroque style. His works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands, as ...

(1710–1773), painter who worked on many churches in Malta *

Juan Bautista Azopardo Juan Bautista Azopardo-Native name Ġann Patist Azzopardi (Born 19 February 1772 in Senglea, Malta –Died 23 October 1848 in Buenos Aires) was a Maltese privateer and military man who fought under the flags of the Netherlands, Spain, and ...

(1772–1848), founder of the Argentinian Navy in 1810 * Giorgio Mitrovich (1795–1885), politician and activist who successfully campaigned for improved freedoms and rights for Maltese people in the 1830s *Louis Shickluna (1808–1880), shipbuilder whose shipyards in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

constructed over 140 ships between 1838 and 1880 * Andrea De Bono (1821–1871), explorer of both the

River Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

and the

Sobat River The Sobat River is a river of the Greater Upper Nile region in northeastern South Sudan, Africa. It is the most southerly of the great eastern tributaries of the White Nile, before the confluence with the Blue Nile. Geography The Sobat River i ...

in Africa *Ignazio Panzavecchia (1855–1925), priest and politician who declined the position of Prime Minister of Malta in 1921 after his party won a majority *Mauro Inguanez (1887–1955), priest at the Benedictine Abbey of

, now a twin city of Senglea, and later librarian at the Valletta-based Royal Library *John F. Marks (1894–1954), man of remarkable political foresight and intellectual initiative who was founder of Dar tal-Haddiema in Senglea. Active member of Labour Party Council instrumental in matters pertaining to the Constitution such as social, educational, industrial and legislative. Prepared the text for Dr. Boffa to propose Bills in Legislative Assembly for Workers Rights and the replacement of Italian with Maltese and English languages in courts and civil service. Leading promoter in the party ensuring that May Day was created in Malta in 1926. *Gigi Gauci (1911–2003), politician and founder member of the

Malta Labour Party The Labour Party ( mt, Partit Laburista, PL), formerly known as the Malta Labour Party ( mt, Partit tal-Ħaddiema, MLP), is one of the two major political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. It sits on the centre-left of the p ...

* Charles Clews (1919–2009), actor and comedian *Anthony Perici (1920–2010), politician, first full-time Mayor of

Twinsburg, Ohio Twinsburg is a suburban city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, located about halfway between Akron and Cleveland. The population was 19,248 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. History In 1817 Ethan Alling, then ...

Charles Thake Charles Thake (21 December 1927 – 12 May 2018) was a Maltese actor. Born in Senglea, Thake was known mainly for comic parts and for interpreting theatrical performances, as well as on television and radio. He has also contributed in stations ...

(1927–2018), actor

Twin towns – sister cities

Senglea is twinned with: *

, Italy *

Zarasai Zarasai () is a city in northeastern Lithuania, surrounded by many lakes and rivers: to the southwest of the city is Lake Zarasas, to the north – Lake Zarasaitis, to the southeast – Lake Baltas, and the east – Lake Griežtas. Lakes Zarasai ...

, Lithuania

Gallery

File:Malta 11 Great Harbour.jpg, A view of Senglea from the Grand Harbour File:Senglea Point.JPG, Senglea Point File:Fort St. Michael at Malta (sunset).jpg, View of Senglea from the

Upper Barrakka Gardens The Upper Barrakka Gardens ( mt, Il-Barrakka ta' Fuq) are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. The gardens are located on the upper tier of ...

File:Gardjola Garden, Senglea.jpg, Gardjola Garden File:Gardjola (The Spur) seen from the harbour.jpg, The Gardjola, Senglea File:Senglea Basilica Interior.jpg, Inside Senglea's Basilica File:Il-Malta2.JPG, Senglea Feast - Il-Malta File:Festa2.JPG, Senglea Feast - Marija Bambina File:Regatta2008.JPG, The Regatta, Senglea's most popular sport File:Senglea - panoramic view towards Valetta, Malta - 2016.jpg, Panoramic view at sunset from Senglea towards Valletta File:View of Senglea.jpg, View of Senglea from Valletta

References

External links

Official websiteSenglea BasilicaAwarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010
{{Authority control Local councils of Malta Mediterranean port cities and towns in Malta Populated places established in the 1550s