Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a
fortified city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in the
Port 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
Three Cities in the
Grand Harbour area, the other two being
Cospicua and
Vittoriosa, and has a population of approximately 2,720 people. The city's title Città Invicta (lit. invincible city) was given because it managed to resist the
Ottoman invasion at the
Great Siege of Malta in 1565. The name Senglea comes from the
Grand Master who built it
Claude de la Sengle 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.
In Senglea, locals speak the
Cottonera dialect.
Senglea was part of a town named Birmula. When the order of St John came to Malta they planned to build 3 cities from this land. It started from Senglea, then Vittoriosa and Cospicua. The rest of the land was named Cottonera and it was surrounded with the Cottonera lines.
History
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, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
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
Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and remained unconquered. The city was given the title ''Civitas Invicta'' (meaning "Unconquered City") by Grand Master
Jean Parisot de Valette. 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 was bestowed with the title of Basilica by
Pope Benedict XV in 1921. Senglean-born Ignazio Panzavecchia was elected as the first
Prime Minister of Malta 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 (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 ...
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, 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 ...
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 visited the devastated city on 20 June 1943.
The newly built Basilica was consecrated by Archbishop Sir
Mikiel Gonzi 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 (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
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 city of
Cassino became a
twin city with Senglea in 2003.
In 2010 Senglea won a
European Destinations of Excellence award for aquatic tourism.
Culture
Senglea is particularly famous for the statue of
Jesus Christ
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
the Redeemer (''Ir-Redentur tal-Isla''), located in the
oratory of the
basilica which is dedicated to the birth of the
Virgin 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 ...
(''Marija Bambina'').
Senglea also has a statue dedicated to
Mary, mother of Jesus
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 ...
, 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
Cospicua, were the centre of Malta's
elite 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 ( ; , ) 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 ...
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, boats between the two locations were restarted in response to complaints that bus journeys were too slow.
Notable people
*
Francesco Zahra (1710–1773), painter who worked on many churches in Malta
*
Juan Bautista Azopardo (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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
constructed over 140 ships between 1838 and 1880
*
Andrea De Bono (1821–1871), explorer of both the
River Nile and the
Sobat River 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
Cassino, 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
*
Charles Clews (1919–2009), actor and comedian
*Anthony Perici (1920–2010), politician, first full-time Mayor of
Twinsburg, Ohio
*
Charles Thake (1927–2018), actor
Twin towns – sister cities
Senglea is
twinned with:
*
Cassino, Italy
*
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
File:Gardjola Garden, Senglea.jpg, Gardjola Garden
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