Żurrieq ( ) is a town in the Western Region of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and has a population of 11,823 inhabitants as of March 2014. Żurrieq is one of the 10 parishes to be documented in 1436 and is dedicated to Saint Catherine. The island of

Filfla Filfla is a mostly barren, uninhabited islet south of Malta (island), Malta, and is the most southerly point of the Maltese Islands, Maltese Archipelago. Filflu (or Filfluu), a rocky islet some southwest of Filfla,

is administratively a part of the town. The town stretches from Nigret to

Ħal Far Ħal Far is the largest industrial estate in Malta. It is at the southern extreme of Malta, between the localities of Birżebbuġa, Safi and Żurrieq. In the past, Ħal Far housed the RAF Hal Far airfield, which was known as HMS Falcon when i ...

. In old times the town had a border with Żejtun. The village of Qrendi used to be part of the parish of Żurrieq until 1618 when it was made into its own parish. Żurrieq is part of

District 5 District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * District 5, an electoral district of Malta * District 5, a police district of Malta * Palma-Palmilla, also kno ...

and votes for the local council every five years. The council is made up of nine members, one of them is the mayor. The present mayor of Żurrieq is Rita Grima. The parish archpriest being Rev. Daniel Cardona, helped by Rev. Raymond Cassar and Rev. Karm Camilleri.

Main Landmarks

One of the most popular landmarks is the Blue Grotto. Locally it is known as 'Il-Ħnejja' (the arch). It is known for the beautiful shades of blue under the arch. People can go into the arch by boarding a luzzu from Wied Iż-Żurrieq. Another popular landmark is the Xarolla Windmill. It is found in the limits of Żurrieq near Ħal Safi. It is one of the few restored Maltese windmills around the islands. During restorations,

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

were found underneath the windmill. In front of the windmill is a small chapel dating to the time of the

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

dedicated to

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

. The chapel has also been restored. In the house of the archpriest one can find a small Punic tower which was built when Malta was under the control of the

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

. There are also remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

tower near the remains of a chapel in tal-Baqqari. There are a number of churches and chapels in Żurrieq, among them the Parish Church of Saint Catherine and a medieval chapel dedicated to the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

. Żurrieq is also known for its big feasts which are held in summer. The first one, which is dedicated to

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is a Roman Catholic Titles of Mary, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated as patron saint, patroness of the Carmelites, Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on M ...

, is celebrated on the third Sunday of July. The titular feast is held in the honour of Saint Catherine. The feast is held on the first Sunday of September. During both feasts the streets of the town is adorned with decorations. A week of masses and marches are held leading up to Sunday where the statue is carried around the town in a procession. Fireworks are also used throughout the week with a firework show on the eve of the feast. A feast of Saint Catherine is also held on the 25th of November as it is the liturgical feast of Saint Catherine.

Churches and chapels

Parish Church dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria

The building of the current church started in 1632–1633 under the direction of Rev. Matteolo Saliba, who was also the architect of the new church. The church was completed in 1658. The church includes a number of paintings by

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

. These include the Martyrdom of

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

, Martyrdom of Saint Andrew, Martyrdom of

Saint Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess a ...

, Eternal Father, Visitation of the Virgin to Saint Elizabeth,

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

Saint Blaise Blaise of Sebaste (, ''Hágios Blásios''; martyred 316 AD) was a physician and bishop of Sivas, Sebastea in historical Lesser Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and martyr. He is counted as one of the Fourteen ...

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic, (; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he a ...

, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino and of

Our Lady of Graces Our Lady of Graces (Italian: ''Madonna delle Grazie'' or ''Nostra Signora delle Grazie'') or Saint Mary of Graces (Italian: ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'') is a devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. Several churches with this d ...

Bubaqra Chapel dedicated to the Assumption of Mary

The present church may have been built on the original site of two old chapels, one dedicated to

and the other to

Saint Sebastian Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

. The chapel of

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

was built after the plague of 1676. The chapel experienced major restructuring in 1961 when it was enlarged to accommodate the increasing population of the area. This was done on the initiative of Rev. Salv Farrugia.

Nigret Chapel dedicated to the Immaculate conception of Mary

The present church was built on the site of a previous chapel dedicated to the Annunciation which was deconsecrated by Bishop Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa on 24 November 1658. The church was built by commander James Togores de Valemuola and was finally consecrated by the parish priest of the village Rev. Karm Delicata on 11 October 1739.

Chapel of the Annunciation, Ħal-Millieri

The now uninhabited village of Ħal-Millieri was first documented in 1419 though it originates from Roman or even pre-historic times. The present church was built around 1450 on the site of an earlier 13th century chapel. The chapel was consecrated in 1480. During Monsignor

Pietro Dusina Pietro Dusina was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from Brescia who was the inquisitor and apostolic delegate to Malta between 1574 and 1575. Dusina was nominated inquisitor of Malta by Pope Gregory XIII on 3 July 1574, and he arrived on the isl ...

's apostolic visit to Ħal-Millieri, in 1575, he found that there were a total of four churches in the area. Only two of these remain standing; the Annunciation and

Saint John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on h ...

. During his visit, Dusina found that the church was in a state of good repair, had three altars and paved. However, he found that the church was not equipped with sacred vestments, income or even a rector.

Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist in Ħal-Millieri

The original medieval chapel dedicated to Saint John was built sometime around 1481. It is recorded in inquisitor

's report of his apostolic visit to the chapel in 1575. The report states that the chapel was in a dilapidated state, there were no doors, there were stone benches and a floor of beaten earth. Consequently, the church was deconsecrated. However, some time later it was reconsecrated and equipped with religious objects.

Chapel of St. Leo

The chapel serves as the official cemetery chapel of Żurrieq. It is the only such chapel dedicated to Pope Leo I in Malta. This chapel was closed in 1658 and reopened twenty years later, after the necessary restoration had been carried out. In this chapel one could also find an old painting on wood that from 1343 to 1575 was in the chapel in

. Today, this painting is found in the parish church of Żurrieq.

Chapel of St. Agatha

The original church which stood on the site of the present church was built sometime in the 16th century. However it was deconsecrated by the Bishop of Malta, Balaguer on 24 November 1658. The present church was built by Cikku Grixti as a fulfillment of a vow made by a woman. It was blessed by the vicar general Philip Amato on 27 February 1859. The church served as a spiritual base for British soldiers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1952, the church was enlarged and decorated with important items such as the Via Crucis and new vestments. The painting depicting

Saint Agatha Agatha of Sicily () is a Christian saint. Her Calendar of saints, feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Sicilia (Roman province), Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred . She is one of several virgin martyrs who are ...

was restored by R. Bonnici Cali.

Chapel of St. James

This church is first recorded in the report dating from 1575 during the apostolic visit of inquisitor

. Beside the original church was another church dedicated to

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. Both churches were demolished in the early 18th century to make way for a new and bigger church dedicated to Saint James. Work commenced in 1725 and was completed by June 24, 1731.

Chapel of St. Bartholomew

The original chapel of

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

was built in the year 1482. It was one of the churches which the inquisitor

visited during his apostolic visit in 1575. He reported that the chapel was in a good state and was equipped with all necessary objects to function, however it lacked a rector and an income.

Chapel of St. Andrew

's was first mentioned in the reports recounting the visit of inquisitor

in 1575. However, the chapel was rebuilt in 1634 as mentioned in other pastoral visits. The chapel was deconsecrated in 1658 by Bishop Balaguer. The church remained unused until 1690 when the chapel became the property of the parish church of Saint Catherine.

Chapel of St. Luke

The origin of the chapel of

Saint Luke Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...

dates back to the 15th century. It was donated by its benefactor Luqa Zammit in his will dated 1460 as revealed in the notary documents of Luqa Sillato. However, the present structure dates from 1814 when the church was rebuilt on the initiative of Rev. Ġwann Zammit.

Peace Laboratory

In 1971 Fr Dionysius Mintoff took over an air force hangar to use as a centre of peace activities, dedicating it to

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

. The area was later developed as a peace laboratory.

Feasts

Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary (), also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Titles of Mary, Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October ...

*Our Lady of tal-Warda *

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

* Saint Rocco *

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

*Saint Clementine *Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated in the parish church and also in Nigret. * Corpus Christi *The Assumption of our Lady, Celebrated in Bubaqra

Bands and clubs

* Soċjeta Mużikali Santa Katarina V.M. *Għaqda Karmelitana Banda Queen Victoria

Streets showing Roman Catholic Faith

*Misrah Santa Marija(Saint Mary Square) *Misraħ San Ġorg (Saint Georges Square) *Misraħ il-Karmelitani (Carmelites Square) *Triq Santa Katarina (St. Catherine's Street) *Triq il-Benedittini (Benedictines Street) *Triq il-Karmnu (Our Lady of Mount Carmel Street) *Triq il-Kunċizzjoni (Immaculate Conception Street) *Triq l-Isqof Alpheran (Bishop Alpheran Street) *Triq San Bartilmew (St. Bartholomew Street) *Triq Sant'Luqa ( St. Luke Street) *Triq San Bastjan (St. Sebastian Street) *Triq San Ċiru (St. Ciros Street) *Triq San David (St. David Street) *Triq San Ġorġ (St. George Street) *Triq San Ġwann (St. John Street) *Triq San Iljun (St. Lion Street) *Triq San Pawl (St. Paul Street) *Triq San Mark (St. Mark Street) *Triq San Lazzru (St. Lazrus) *Triq Sant'Antnin (St. Antony Street) *Triq San Nikola (St. Nicholas Street) *Triq San Pietru (St. Peter Street) *Triq San Gwann (St. John Street) *Triq San Mikiel (St. Michael Street) *Triq San Martin (St. Martin Street) *Triq Sant'Iljun (St. Lion Street) *Triq San Bastjan (St. Sebastian Street) *Triq Sant'Agata (St. Agatha Street) *Triq Sant'Porfirju *Triq Santa Fawstina *Triq Sant'Andrija (St. Andrew Street) *Triq Santa Katerina tal-Baqqari *Triq Monsinjur Pietru Pawl Saydon *Triq Monsinjur Pullicino *Triq il-Kanonku Balzan *Triq l-Immakulata ( Immaculate Conception Street) *Trejqa l-Iben il-Ħali ( Prodigal Son Street) *Sqaq il-Karmnu Nru.1 u Nru.2 (Our Lady of Mount Carmel Alley No.1 and No.2) *Sqaq il-Kunċizzjoni (Immaculate Conception Alley) *Sqaq San Anard (St. Leonard Alley) *Sqaq San Bartolimew (St. Bartholomew Alley) *Sqaq San Ċiru (St. Ciros Alley) *Sqaq San Edwardu (St. Edward Alley) *Sqaq San Ġakmu (St. James Alley) *Sqaq San Ġużepp (St. Joseph Alley) *Sqaq San Ġwann (St. John Alley) *Sqaq San Martin (St. Martin Alley) *Sqaq San Patrizju (St. Patrick's Alley) *Żona Tal-Bambina (The Nativity of Our Lady Area) *Triq Santa Katerina tal-Baqqari

Language

The primary language spoken in Żurrieq is the Żurrieq dialect of the

Maltese language Maltese (, also or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic, late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance languages, Romance Stratum (linguistics), superstrata. It is the only Semitic languages, Semitic language pred ...

Education

Zones

* Bubaqra *Nigret *Xarolla *Tal-Bebbux *Tal-Gawhar *Ta' Xaqqa *Taz-Zutli *Tal-Għerien *Taċ-Ċantar *Tax-Xewki *Tal-Ġibjun *Tal-Baqqari *Ta' Taħt iċ-Ċint *Ħal-Millieri *Ħal-Lew *Ħal-Far *Ħal-Manin *Wied Ganu *Wied Żurrieq *Wied Babu *Wied Ħallelin *Wied Basasa *Wied Żnuber *Wied Fulija *Għar Ħasan

Twin towns – sister cities

Żurrieq is twinned with: *

Angermünde Angermünde () is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany. It is about northeast of Berlin, the capital of Germany. The population is about 14,000, but has been declining since its traditional i ...

, Germany *

Borgo Maggiore Borgo Maggiore (; ; ) is one of the nine of San Marino. It lies at the foot of Monte Titano and has a population of 6,871 (May 2018), making it the second largest town of San Marino after Dogana. History The area was previously called ''Mer ...

, San Marino *

Morphou Morphou (; ) is a town in the northwestern part of Cyprus, under the '' de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. Having been a predominantly Greek Cypriot community before the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the town is now inhabited by Turkish Cy ...

, Cyprus *

Taverna A taverna (; ) is a small Greek restaurant that serves Greek cuisine. The taverna is an integral part of Greek culture and has become familiar to people from other countries who visit Greece, as well as through the establishment of tavernes ...

, Italy * Pedara, Italy

References

External links

Żurrieq Local CouncilŻurrieq Parish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurrieq Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta