
Gżira () is a town in the
Eastern 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 located between
Msida
Msida (, ) is a harbour town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta with a population of 7,623 (2021).
Location
The town is located just west of Valletta on the northeast coast of Malta. The neighbouring towns of Msida are Ta' ...
and
Sliema
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, and café life. ...
, also bordering on
Ta' Xbiex. It has a population of 11,699 as of January 2019. The word ''Gżira'' means "island" in
Maltese, and the town is named after
Manoel Island
Manoel Island (), formerly known as Bishop's Island (, ) or the ''Isolotto'', is a small island which forms part of the municipality of Gżira in Marsamxett Harbour, Malta. It is named after the Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, ...
which lies to the east of Gżira, between the Sliema peninsula and
Valletta
Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
. The seafront of Gżira has views of the walled city of Valletta, which is illuminated at night, forming a backdrop to Manoel Island, the yacht marina and a seafront public garden. The hamlet of
Kappara is located close to Gżira. The
Orpheum Theatre is located in Gżira.
Town history
In the mid-19th century a villa was built in Gżira by Chevalier Jacob Tagliaferro. Slowly Gżira started developing into a working-class suburb of Sliema. Until the 1970s, Gżira had many bars, particularly the Snake Pit, Britannia and the Granada along and in proximity of the Strand, which economic activity ended when the British Service left Malta on 31 March 1979.
A regenerated Gżira is now host to a business community of hoteliers, restaurants, financial institutions, legal firms, online betting companies, real estate and offices amidst a multi-ethnic and multicultural community of residents. Since the last decade, Gżira had a real estate boom, and new buildings, mainly apartments, have replaced the old buildings.
As a result, much of the character and charm of the seafront houses has changed, although in the heart of Gżira there are still examples of traditional Maltese façades, with timber balconies (Gallarija) and bow-fronted, wrought iron balconies. The proliferation of modern apartments in Gżira as well as the development of high rise buildings, namely Metropolis and 14 East, led to an inflation of housing prices, as the town became sought after by both Maltese and foreigners.
Gżira's population has been fairly stable over the past few years, hovering around 11,699 people as of January 2019. It is known as being quite a multicultural town, with well-established and fairly integrated immigrant groups.
The main reason behind the area's popularity is that it is fairly centrally located in Malta, being close to the
University of Malta
The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...
, Sliema, and the capital
Valletta
Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
. Service industries, commercial outlets and educational services are the town's main activities.
The crime rate in Gżira is very low, and the town is generally as safe as the rest of Malta and
Gozo
Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...
.
Religion
The
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
parish church of Gżira is also known locally as ''tal-Ġebla''. Its literal translation means "of the stone", a reference to an incident which took place in Gżira on 10 July 1902. Three British drunken sailors, William Walls, Charles Thurbull and John Packhun, wanted to enter a bar, which at that time of day was closed. When Karmnu Brincat, the owner of the bar, refused to open, the sailors started throwing stones at the place. One of these stones hit a small shrine depicting a picture of
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 ...
hanging outside the bar. The stone broke the glass of the frame, but did not make contact with the portrait itself, which remained intact. Notwithstanding the wind, the stone remained fixed within the broken glass.
The stone was removed by Anton Manché and taken to the Stella Maris Parish Church in Sliema, whose parish priest at the time was Francis Vincent Manché, the brother of Anton Manché.
For three days, prayers and services for reparation were held. Anton Anton Manché managed to set up a small chapel in Gżira where the small shrine was taken.
On 7 July 1913 Bishop Pietro Pace declared the chapel as a vice-parish.
On 15 May 1921, Bishop Don Mauro Caruana declared the chapel as a parish. Anton Anton Manché was the first parish priest of Gżira. The existing parish church was built between 1921 and 1935.
The second parish priest in the history of the Gżira parish was
Carlo Manché, a man revered by many locals as a saint. He became parish priest of Gżira on 12 March 1935 until his death on 18 November 1950.
The frame, the broken glass and the stone that was thrown at the portrait of
The Madonna have been very well preserved, and today they can still be seen at the parish church of Gżira.
The parish church of Gżira is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and its annual festa (village feast) is celebrated on the second Sunday of July.
Twin cities
Gżira has been twinned with
Glyfada
Glyfada (, ) is a town and a suburb in the South Athens regional unit located in the Athens Riviera along the coast of Saronic Gulf. It is situated in the southern parts of the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens urban area. The area stretches from ...
(Greece) and
Wałbrzych
Wałbrzych (; ; or ''Walmbrich''; or ) is a city located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland, seat of Wałbrzych County. Wałbrzych lies approximately southwest of the voivodeship capital Wrocław and about from the Czec ...
(Poland).
Zones in Gżira
* Village Core – area surrounding the Gżira Parish Church
* The Strand and Promenade
* Council of Europe Gardens, Gżira – a public garden
*
Empire Stadium
* Gżira Marina
*
Manoel Island
Manoel Island (), formerly known as Bishop's Island (, ) or the ''Isolotto'', is a small island which forms part of the municipality of Gżira in Marsamxett Harbour, Malta. It is named after the Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, ...
Manoel Island
Manoel Island in Gżira's Marsamxett Harbour, was originally known as ''l'Isola del Vescovo'' or ''il-Gżira tal-Isqof'' in Maltese (literally translated as "the Bishop's Island"). It was the property of the
Mdina
Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...
Cathedral. In 1643 Jean Paul
Lascaris, Grandmaster of the
Knights of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...
, constructed a quarantine hospital (''
Lazzaretto'') on the island, in an attempt to control the periodic influx of
plague and
cholera
Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
. In 1675, another Grand Master, this time, Nicola' Cottoner, decided to construct another isolation hospital with an additional forty beds, a chapel and a cemetery.
The island was renamed after
António Manoel de Vilhena, a Portuguese Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta under whose leadership
Fort Manoel was built in 1726. Fort Manoel is considered a marvel of 18th-century military engineering. The original plans for the fort are attributed to Louis d'Augbigne Tigné, and are said to have been modified by his friend and colleague
Charles François de Mondion, who is buried in a crypt beneath Fort Manoel. At one time, the Knights of Malta considered developing a walled city on Manoel Island, but instead they settled on a fort designed to house up to 500 soldiers. The fort has a magnificent quadrangle, parade ground and arcade, and once housed a baroque chapel dedicated to St.
Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor.
...
, under the direct command of the Order.
During World War II, Manoel Island and its fort were used as a naval base by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, at which time it was referred to variously as "HMS Talbot" or "HMS Phœnicia". The Chapel of St. Anthony was virtually destroyed following a direct hit by
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
bombers in March 1942.
Manoel Island formerly housed a quaint, informal sanctuary for
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
s and other
waterfowl
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...
, created and maintained by a local volunteer, and funded entirely by private donations near the bridge connecting the island with the main island.
As of November 2006, the historic fort was undergoing significant restoration and renovation works, and a new housing development was under construction on Manoel Island. The Manoel Island redevelopment project, however, has been heavily criticized due to its proximity to the island's important historical buildings. A guarded barrier some 300 yards after the bridge makes it clear that the public is not welcome on the largest part of the island.
Notable residents
*
Roberta Metsola
Roberta Metsola (; ; born 18 January 1979) is a Malta, Maltese politician who has served as the president of the European Parliament since January 2022. She is a member of Malta's Nationalist Party (Malta), Nationalist Party (PN) and the European ...
- President of the European Parliament
*
Mario Azzopardi
Mario Philip Azzopardi (born 19 November 1950) is a Canadian-Maltese television and film director and writer.
Early life and emigration
Azzopardi was born in Siggiewi, Malta, and was educated at St Aloysius' College ( Birkirkara, Malta), and the ...
- poet
*
Ivan De Battista – actor
*
Simone De Battista – actress
*
Carlo Manché – parish priest
*
Vanni Riolo – radio, television and film actor. He played the part of Piali in
Treasure in Malta[On-Line IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0871449/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm Retrieved 21FEb2019]
*
Albert Rizzo M.Q.R. – former mayor, auctioneer and holder of three Guinness World Records; deceased
References
External links
Gżira Local CouncilStella Maris College Scout GroupChamber College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gzira
Towns in Malta
Local councils of Malta
Marinas in Malta