Gudja
Encyclopedia
Gudja is a village
in Malta
with a population of 2,901 (Nov 2005). The village is located on a small hill south of the city of Valletta
overlooking Malta International Airport
.
Gudja's coat of arms bears the motto "PLURIBUS PARENS", which means "Mother of many children". These children are Safi
, Kirkop
, Ħal-Farruġ, Luqa
, Mqabba
, Birżebbuġa and Tarxien
, which at one time these were all part of the parish church of Gudja. From Tarxien then, another three parishes emerged: Fgura, Santa Luċija and the Christ the King Parish of Paola. Then again, from the latter, another parish emerged: the Our Lady of Lourdes parish at Paola.
The village has a palace called Palazzo Bettina and it is believed that Napoleon lived there during his short stay in Malta, when Malta was being ruled by the French
.
The parish church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
and it's the only one in Malta with 3 bell towers. The most conspicuous of these is the William Baker Tower, built in the 1880s by this English architect.
The Church inside offers some interesting objets d' arte. The titular painting of the Assumption of the Virgin was painted by the Italian painter Pietro Gagliardi in 1887. The same painter was commissioned with the painting 'Our Lady of Mount Carmel' in 1889. Another interesting painting is 'The Death of Saint Joseph', painted by the Italian artist Domenico Bruschi in 1894. The most important sculpture inside the church is the titular statue of the Assumption of Our Lady, sculpted out of solid wood in 1807 by the Maltese Vincenzo Dimech. It is the oldest processional statue in the Maltese Islands featuring the Assumption of Our Lady.
Gudja also has a famous 500 year-old chapel of Bir Miftuħ (which means "open well"). Bir Miftuh was already established as a parish prior to 1436 and so it is one of the first twelve parishes of the Maltese Islands.
An architect who is famous for his architectural projects during the Knights of St. John era, Girolamo Cassar, was born in Gudja.
Pop singer Madonna
stayed in Gudja during her short visit in the island.
Gudja also has a football team, known as Gudja United F.C. The club enjoyed a successful period in the 1980s when they narrowly lost promotion to the Premier Division.
Gudja also has a youth local Council.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
with a population of 2,901 (Nov 2005). The village is located on a small hill south of the city of Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
overlooking Malta International Airport
Malta International Airport
Malta International Airport is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole Maltese Archipelago. It is located between Luqa and Gudja. It occupies the location of the former RAF Luqa and was completely re-furbished, becoming fully operational on 25 March 1992...
.
Gudja's coat of arms bears the motto "PLURIBUS PARENS", which means "Mother of many children". These children are Safi
Safi
Safi may refer to:*Safi Airways, an Afghan Airline based in Dubai*Safi, Morocco*Safi of Persia, a Safavid Shah of Iran*Safi, Malta, a local council on Malta*Safi , an Unani herbal medicine...
, Kirkop
Kirkop
Ħal Kirkop is a small village in the south of Malta. It is found near the Malta International Airport and this settlement has a rich history, that of even Punic times. The parish church is dedicated to St. Leonard. Apart from the feast of St. Leonard, a secondary big feast of St. Joseph is...
, Ħal-Farruġ, Luqa
Luqa
Ħal Luqa is a village located in the south east of Malta. It is an old town that has a dense population, typical of the Maltese Islands. The population of Ħal Luqa is 6,028 . There is a church in its main square dedicated to St. Andrew. The traditional feast of St...
, Mqabba
Mqabba
Mqabba is a town in the south of Malta. Situated at the heart of a soft limestone area, the surrounding of the village is barren and stripped with quarries. Mqabba is renowned for the construction industry, and holds more than a quarter of the quarries in Malta...
, Birżebbuġa and Tarxien
Tarxien
-Etymology:Ħal Tarxien is a small village in the south east of Malta. The etymology of the village may be a corruption of Tirix, meaning a large stone, similar to those used for the village's noted temples. The village motto is Tyrii Genure Coloni .-Population:Today, the village is inhabited by...
, which at one time these were all part of the parish church of Gudja. From Tarxien then, another three parishes emerged: Fgura, Santa Luċija and the Christ the King Parish of Paola. Then again, from the latter, another parish emerged: the Our Lady of Lourdes parish at Paola.
The village has a palace called Palazzo Bettina and it is believed that Napoleon lived there during his short stay in Malta, when Malta was being ruled by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The parish church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
and it's the only one in Malta with 3 bell towers. The most conspicuous of these is the William Baker Tower, built in the 1880s by this English architect.
The Church inside offers some interesting objets d' arte. The titular painting of the Assumption of the Virgin was painted by the Italian painter Pietro Gagliardi in 1887. The same painter was commissioned with the painting 'Our Lady of Mount Carmel' in 1889. Another interesting painting is 'The Death of Saint Joseph', painted by the Italian artist Domenico Bruschi in 1894. The most important sculpture inside the church is the titular statue of the Assumption of Our Lady, sculpted out of solid wood in 1807 by the Maltese Vincenzo Dimech. It is the oldest processional statue in the Maltese Islands featuring the Assumption of Our Lady.
Gudja also has a famous 500 year-old chapel of Bir Miftuħ (which means "open well"). Bir Miftuh was already established as a parish prior to 1436 and so it is one of the first twelve parishes of the Maltese Islands.
An architect who is famous for his architectural projects during the Knights of St. John era, Girolamo Cassar, was born in Gudja.
Pop singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
stayed in Gudja during her short visit in the island.
Gudja also has a football team, known as Gudja United F.C. The club enjoyed a successful period in the 1980s when they narrowly lost promotion to the Premier Division.
Interesting Places at Gudja
- St. Mary's Parish Church (at Main Street)
- Annunciation Chapel (at Annunciation Street)
- Villa Dorell (at Gudja By-Pass)
- Bir Miftuħ Chapel
- Ħal-Resqun Catacombs
- Ta' Loretu Chapel (situated overlooking the runway on the road leading to Ħal Far)
Zones in Gudja
- Bir Miftuħ (Open Well)
- Ta' Loretu (Loreto's Village)
- Ta' Xlejli
- Tal-Ħamra (Reddish Village)
- Tal-Lampat
- Tal-Lebbien
- Tal-Millieri
- Tal-Mitħna (Mill's Village)
- Tat-Tajjara (Cotton's Village)
- Ħas-Saptan
Gudja Main Roads
- Dawret il-Gudja (Gudja By-Pass)
- Triq Bir Miftuħ (Bir Miftuh Road)
- Triq Ħal-Far (Hal Far Road)
- Triq Ħal-Għaxaq (Ghaxaq Road)
- Triq Ħal-Tarxien (Tarxien Road)
- Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
- Triq iż-Żebbuġa (Olive Street)
- Triq Raymond Caruana (Raymond Caruana Street)
- Vjal l-Avjazzjoni (Aviation Avenue)
Gudja Local Council
- Calleja John Mary k/a Mario (mayor, PL)
- Baldacchino Romeo (vice-mayor, PL)
- Dalli Anthony (PL)
- Pace Osvaldo (PL)
- Sammut Mark Anthony (PN)(In the last Local Council his had the majority of the votes(443))
Gudja also has a youth local Council.