Bidnija is a rural

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

between

Mosta Mosta ( mt, Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest ...

, St. Paul's Bay and

Mġarr Mġarr ( mt, L-Imġarr), formerly known as ''Mgiarro'', is a village in the Northern Region of Malta. Mġarr is a typical rural village situated in an isolated region, west of Mosta. It is surrounded with rich farmland and vineyards. Many of it ...

. It is located in the northern region of Malta and is home to roughly 308 people per 2008, the second least populated habitable zone on the Maltese islands after Mdina (306 people). It is located between two main

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

s (Wied Qannotta and Wied tal-Pwales) then extends into other small valleys surrounding the area. It is largely a rural village surrounded by fields mainly belong to the inhabitants, although over the years other Maltese and foreigners have settled in the area generally for its countryside views. At present, Bidnija is administered by the local councils of Mosta and St. Paul's Bay. It is home to some horse riding facilities, a clay pigeon shooting club and a Maltese cuisine restaurant specialising in traditional rabbit stew. Bidnija's small church is dedicated to the

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...

and its feast day is celebrated in July.Bidnija
malta.com. Accessed 18 October 2022.

History of Bidnija

Bidnija is situated in northern central Malta. Bidnija took its name from the '

Bidni The Bidni, which is also referred to as ''Bitni'', is an olive cultivar from the Mediterranean island of Malta. The fruit is small in size, hearty with a "violet colour", and is renowned for its superior oil which is low in acidity. The latter ...

olive trees' grove that is found in this village and can date back to ''5,000 years''. The Antique Olive Grove at Bidnija enjoys Protected area status. These olives are of importance to olive-oil's productivity. Archaeologists and Researchers also believe some Roman remains (e.g. Roman villas; tombs) can be found nearby, as Bidnija makes part of the rural surroundings of

Rabat, Malta Rabat ( mt, Ir-Rabat, ) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,497 as of March 2014. It adjoins the ancient capital city of Mdina, and a north-western area formed part of the Roman city of Melite until its mediev ...

which served as a City in those ages, and also is not far from the coast of Salina, which was once a Roman harbour. Along the years, the farmers of the locality built their own farmhouses in Bidnija which nowadays are owned through inheritance by their descendants who still live in the village. It was during this period that the inhabitants which in population were about 25 families, showed their wish to build a church to serve for their spiritual needs. The works on the church's building started in 1920. In the early 1900s, a number of small rooms were built all around the hill's edges. These served for the British soldiers to stay in watching the Maltese island during the

World War II 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 opposing ...

when Malta was a British colony. A number of war shelters are also spread all around Bidnija. These shelters served as a shelter to the farmers and the inhabitants of the village during the war. On 16 October 2017, writer, journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist,

Daphne Caruana Galizia Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia (; 26 August 1964 – 16 October 2017) was a Maltese writer, journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist, who reported on political events in Malta. In particular, she focused on investigative journalism, repor ...

was murdered close to her home in Bidnija when a car bomb was detonated inside her vehicle, attracting widespread local and international condemnation of the attack. In December 2017, three men were arrested in connection with the car bomb attack. Police arrested

Yorgen Fenech Yorgen Fenech (born 23 November 1981) is a Maltese businessman whose main interests are casinos and hotels in Malta. He was head of the Tumas Group and director of the Maltese-Azerbaijan-German company ElectroGas Malta. Suspected of bribing ...

, the owner of the Dubai-based company 17 Black, on his yacht on 20 November 2019 in connection with her murder.

Bidnija Church

In the 1920s a church designed by mason Salvu Zahra, was built in the area by the inhabitants themselves to serve for their spiritual needs. The church was built in two years and each family in Bidnija decided to donate something to furnish the church. This church is dedicated to the

of Nazareth. A titular painting, together with two other works in this church were painted by

Gianni Vella Gianni Vella (9 May 1885 – 3 September 1977) was a Maltese artist. After studying in Rome, he produced many religious works which can be found in many churches in the Maltese Islands, but he also produced some secular works including landscape ...

. The titular statue of the Holy Family was made by Wistin Camilleri and blessed in July 1977 by then-Archpriest of Mosta, Monsignor Bartolomeo Bezzina, and a procession was held for the first time. The statue was commissioned and paid for by Angelo Galea (tat-Tork) as an ex-voto. The feast with the procession in the streets of Bidnija is celebrated by the people of this village on the 3rd Sunday of July. The first feast was celebrated in 1977.

Streets in Bidnija

*Triq Il-Bidnija (Main Road) *Triq Is-Sagra Familja *Triq Tal-Milord *Triq Il-Bdiewa *Triq Iż-Żebbuġ *Triq Il-Ħarruba *Triq Il-Girna *Triq Għajn Riħana *Triq Tal-Karri *Triq Ta' l-Għażżi *Triq Ta' Ħal-Dragu *Triq Ta' Ġebel Għawżara *Sqaq Ta' San Pawl Milqi

Valleys Around Bidnija

*Wied Celestina *Wied l-Imsellit *Wied L-Arkata *Wied Qannotta *Wied tal-Pwales *Wied tal-Hzejjen

Zones Around Bidnija

*Busewdien *Għajn Astas *Ħal Dragu *Ħanxara *Ħotba ta' San Martin *Il-Folju *Il-Palma *Il-Qolla *L-Arġentier *L-Imbordin *Ras il-Wied *San Martin *Simar *Ta' Garrum *Ta' Rkuplu *Tal-Fjuri *Tal-Ħireb *Wardija

References

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External links

Bidnija limits of MostaBidnija limits of St.Paul's Bay
Towns in Malta Mosta St. Paul's Bay