- Birgu
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"Vittoriosa" redirects here. For the coaster, see MV Vittoriosa.
Il-Birgu
Il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Birgu
Città Vittoriosa— Local council — Il-Birgu 
Coat of armsMotto: Città Vittoriosa 
Coordinates: 35°53′17″N 14°31′21″E / 35.88806°N 14.5225°ECoordinates: 35°53′17″N 14°31′21″E / 35.88806°N 14.5225°E Country 
MaltaIsland Malta District Borders Cospicua, Calcara, Żabbar Government – Mayor John Boxall (MLP) Area – Total 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi) Elevation 24 m (79 ft) Population (Dec 2008) – Total 2,633 – Density 5,266/km2 (13,638.9/sq mi) Demonym Ġirbi (m), Ġirbija (f), Ġirbin (pl) Time zone CET (UTC+1) – Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Postal code BRG Dialing code 356 Patron saint St. Laurence, Saint Dominic of Guzman Day of festa August 10 Website Official website Birgu (Maltese: Città Vittoriosa or Birgu, Italian: Città Vittoriosa or Vittoriosa) is an ancient city in Malta. It played a vital role in the Siege of Malta in 1565. Its population stood at 2,633 in December 2008.
Contents
History
Birgu is a very old locality on the south side of the Grand Harbour in Malta, with its origins reaching back to medieval times. The city occupies a promontory of land with Fort St Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base. Birgu is ideally situated for safe anchorage, and over time it has developed a very long history with maritime, mercantile and military activities. Prior to the establishment of Valletta as capital and main city of Malta, military powers that wanted to rule the Maltese islands would need to obtain control of Birgu due to its significant position in the Grand Harbour.
Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, the Angevines, the Aragonese and the Order of the Knights of St. John all contributed to the development of Malta.[1] Being driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire, the Knights were granted Malta as their new home. When the Knights arrived in 1530, they made Birgu the capital city of Malta, since the former capital, Mdina, was inland and did not suit their naval requirements.[2]
The city was fortified in 1551 and strengthened in 1554 in preparation for an attack by the Ottoman Empire. This included the construction of the Castle of St Angelo, a large fortification separated from the city by a narrow channel.[3] The castle was connected to the city by means of a drawbridge.[4]
Birgu was the site of a major battle between the Knights and the Ottoman Empire during the Siege of Malta in 1565. After four months of successful defence by the Knights, the city was almost captured by the Ottoman army in August 1565, but was recaptured by the Knights under Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette. Further forces arrived a month later, and the siege was abandoned by the Ottomans. After this, a new capital city was built on Mount Sceberras, bearing the name Valletta. In 1571, the Knights transferred their convent and seat to the new capital and Birgu lost much of its importance. After the Siege, Birgu was given the title Città Vittoriosa, Italian for "victorious city".[2]
In recent years, due to an agreement made by the Maltese Government with Sovereign Military Order of Malta, this Catholic Order of Knighthood has returned to the Island. This agreement, which has a duration of 99 years, grants the Knights of Malta the exclusive use of Fort St Angelo in Birgu.[5]
After the taking of Malta by Napoleon in 1798, and his eviction by the Maltese, the British were invited to Malta and the British Navy made Birgu its base in the Mediterranean, and remained there until 1979.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Lawrence. The saint's day is celebrated on August 10. The feast starts on 31 July and continues till 10 August. St Lawrence feast is very popular for the decorations in the local streets. Also in Birgu is the Church dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation run by the Dominican Order. This church is also known as St. Dominic's Church. The feast of Saint Dominic is held every last Sunday of August.
Attractions
Birgu is the location of several tourist attractions. The historic Vittoriosa Waterfront contains the former Palace of the General of the Galleys and the Order of St John's treasury. The area was refurbished in the early 2000s, and both buildings are used for other activities: the former is now a casino, while the latter is home to the Malta Maritime Museum.[6] A second museum, the Vittoriosa 1565 Museum, is also located in the town and is dedicated to the siege and the battle in the town in 1565.[7]
St. Lawrence's Church, one of several churches in the parish, was once the Conventual Church of the Order of St John.[8] Other churches in Birgu include the Monastery Of St. Scholastica and the Our Lady of Annunciation Church, also known as St. Dominic's Church.[9] The Freedom Monument comemmorates the departure of British forces from the island in 1979.[10] Birgu also contains the Auberges of the Knights, including the Auberge d'Angleterre, for some time the home of the Knights of St John on the island, which now contains a public library.[6]
At the centre of the Grand Harbour, the 16th-century fortification tower Fort St Angelo still stands.[11] The central piazza in Birgu was badly damaged by bombing during World War II, but one 19th-century palace thought to have been designed by Giuseppe Bonavia survives, and is used as the headquarters of the St Lawrence Band Club.[8]
Population
In 1901, when the first recorded census of the Maltese islands took place, Birgu had a population of 6,093 people. After falling slightly over the following 20 years, this figure had increased to 6,673 in 1931. However, in 1948 the population stood at just 3,816, although it had increased slightly by 1957. The city's population has fallen in every subsequent census, and in 2005 was recorded as 2,701.[12]
Notable people
Architect Lorenzo Gafa (1638–1703), who worked on a number of churches in Malta including St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina, was born in Birgu.[13] He also designed many of the historic buildings in the Vittoriosa Waterfront area, some of which have recently been restored.[8]
Paul Boffa (1890-1962), the Prime Minister of Malta between 1947 and 1950 and the country's first Labour Party Prime Minister, was also born in the city.[14]
Birgu in fiction
Dorothy Dunnett's novel 'The Disorderly Knights', the third volume of her Lymond Chronicles series, covers the events in Birgu in 1551 around the events of the Dragut Raid.[15]
Zones in Birgu
- Bighi Sally Port
- Couvre de Porte
- It-Toqba tal-Birgu
- Post is-Sagra Infirmerija
- Xatt Tal-Birgu
- Xatt il-Forn
- Xatt ir-Risq
- Xatt iż-Żejt
- Xatt Sant' Anġlu
- Il-berga ta' Franza
References
- ^ Gauci,G. Birgu: History and Traditions of a Medieval and Maritime City
- ^ a b Stille, Alexander (1 March 1992). "Malta, Emerges From the Waves of Time". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/01/magazine/malta-emerges-from-the-waves-of-time.html?pagewanted=4&src=pm.
- ^ Martin, Robert Montgomery (1850). The British colonies: their history, extent, condition and resources. London Printing and Publishing Company. p. 117. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=e7INAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA117&dq=history+of+vittoriosa#v=onepage&q=vittoriosa&f=false.
- ^ Gifford, C. H. (1817). History of the wars occasioned by the French Revolution, from the commencement of hostilities in 1792, to the end of 1816. W. Lewis. p. 164. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lCoLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA164&dq=history+of+vittoriosa#v=onepage&q=vittoriosa&f=false.
- ^ "Sovereign Order of Malta - Official Site-The Order and its Institutions-Mission". http://www.orderofmalta.org/the-order-and-its-institutions/225/mission/?lang=en. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
- ^ a b Grima, Godfrey (3 March 2007). "Three times the value". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e8f6f77c-c92d-11db-9f7b-000b5df10621.html#axzz1RFYCxqgH.
- ^ Borowski, Birgit; Strüber, Reinhard (2008). Malta, Gozo, Comino. Mairdumont. p. 239. ISBN 3829711123. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FmSF1CLkV74C&pg=PA239&dq=%22vittoriosa+1565+museum%22#v=onepage&q=%22vittoriosa%201565%20museum%22&f=false.
- ^ a b c Bugeja, Lino (12 June 2011). "A proposal to regenerate Vittoriosa’s historic square". The Times of Malta. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110612/life-features/A-proposal-to-regenerate-Vittoriosa-s-historic-square.370235.
- ^ "Vittoriosa (Il-Birgu)". The Church in Malta. http://maltadiocese.org/lang/en/parishes/vittoriosa/. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ Testa, Michael (1 April 2008). "Freedom Day ceremony marked by anti-PfP protest". The Times of Malta. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080401/local/freedom-day-ceremony-marked-by-anti-pfp-protest.202336.
- ^ Wallace, RMM. International Law, 2nd edition, London 1992. Sweet & Maxwell,. pp. 76.
- ^ "Census of population and housing 2005". Malta National Statistics Office. 2007. p. 51. http://www.nso.gov.mt/docs/Census2005_Vol1.pdf.
- ^ Lorenzo Gafa schoolnet.gov.mt
- ^ Massa, Ariadne (24 March 2004). "Gonzi Malta's second youngest PM". The Times of Malta. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040324/local/gonzi-maltas-second-youngest-pm.126952.
- ^ "The 'Dunnett Siege of Malta'". The Times of Malta. 16 October 2005. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20051016/local/the-dunnett-siege-of-malta.75109.
External links
- Birgu Local Council
- St Lawrence Feast
- St Lawrence feast fans
- St. Dominic Feast in Birgu
- Vittoriosa Stars Fc
- Places to visit in Birgu
Cities in Malta
Il-Birgu (Città Vittoriosa) · Bormla (Città Cospicua) · L-Imdina (Città Notabile) · Ħal Qormi (Città Pinto) · Ir-Rabat, Għawdex (Città Vittoria) · L-Isla (Città Invicta) · Is-Siġġiewi (Città Ferdinand) · Valletta (Città Umillisima) · Ħaż-Żabbar (Città Hompesch) · Ħaż-Żebbuġ (Città Rohan) · Iż-Żejtun (Città Beland)
Categories:- Towns in Malta
- Local councils of Malta
- Populated places established in the 1530s
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