San Ġwann

San Gwann is a redirect to this article. For the ferry named after the city, see San Gwann (ship) .

San Ġwann

coat of arms	map
Basic data
State :	Malta
Gzejjer :	Malta Majjistral (Northwest Malta)
Distretti :	Northern Harbor
Area :	2,617,466 km²
Residents :	14,720 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	5624 inhabitants / km²
ISO 3166-2 :	MT-49
Postal code :	SGN
Website :	www.sangwannmalta.org
politics
Mayor :	Joseph Agius ( PN )

Coordinates: 35 ° 55 '  N , 14 ° 29'  E

San Ġwann ( Eng .: St. John ) is the seventh largest city in Malta with 14,720 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018) . San Ġwann is the largest parish in Malta's 9th District, which also includes the parishes of Msida , Swieqi and Ta 'Xbiex .

The city of San Ġwann - its own parish only since 1965 - consists mainly of fairly modern houses. However, some archaeological sites in the area suggest that San Ġwann has a long history.

history

The oldest human traces in this place are the cart tracks near the Sant Andrija area. These cart tracks, which can also be found in many other parts of Malta, are dated to the pre- Punic period and were probably made in the Bronze Age between 2300 and 1000 BC. Their original function has never been fully clarified either, but it is believed that they were used for road traffic.

The presence of these prehistoric traces suggests that there was a rural community in this area that took advantage of the fertile valleys of Wied Għomor , Wied il-Ballut and Wied Għollieqa . The prehistoric inhabitants are likely to have lived in caves similar to those behind the Tal Mensija Church.

This rural community farmed the land in the area for the centuries that followed. Remnants from Roman times, such as some graves and a covered cistern, point to a functioning community. The best-known archaeological remains from this period is the "Roman Tower" in Ta 'Ċieda. This tower was one of eight defensive towers in all of Malta from the 3rd century AD. This tower also indicates continued settlement activity, as it served as a cemetery in the Arab period.

The Arab origins of this area can be seen in the many Semitic place names in medieval notarial documents. The ancient names of this area - Tal-Għargħar, L-Imsierah - are such examples. These names give us clues as to how this area looked at that time. The old name "Tal-Għargħar" indicates that this was an area forested with conifers that we know from Arab times and that the Arabs continually cut down for their wood needs. The other name "L-Imsieraħ" stands for an open area that results from the altitude. In the Middle Ages there were apparently at least two communities in the area, Raħal Tigan (near the Wied Għollieqa) and Raħal Ger (near Xwieki between Tal-Għargħar and Naxxar ).

Other Semitic names in the medieval documents are the field names il-Kappara, Ħabel il-Ghasfur, il-Ħirba ta 'l-Imnajdar, ta' Għarnuqa, l-Andar ta 'Zerqa, tal-Berbri, ta' Gulbien, tal-Għul , tad-Dwienes, Habal-il Ħofor, il-HOFRA tad-Demus, il-Ħrejba ta 'Bajdun, tal-Milfuq, tan-NiGEM, Bir WERC, tal-Minfes, ta' Xmiexi and others.

The Għargħar region apparently also housed the parish church of St. Helena in the Middle Ages , possibly near the Ta 'Cieda Tower. This church was demolished in the 14th century, but its traces were still visible in 1575 when the Apostolic Visitator Petrus Dusina wrote a report about it. As other churches in this area, Dusina mentioned those that were consecrated to St. Margerita, St. Andrea, St. Bartholomew and St. Leonhard. The former cave chapel in the suburb of Mensija is known today as the Lunziata Chapel (Chapel of the Annunciation) and it appears in a well-known medieval legend. During this time this place came under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Birkirkara .

The surrender of the Maltese Islands to the Order of Malta in 1530 and the events of the Great Siege in 1565 brought the population of San Ġwann a certain security from the frequent Turkish raids of the previous decades. This let the population grow, which can be seen in the construction of other chapels, such as B. those of San Ġwann tal-Gharghar (1646) and those of Saints Philip and John (1730). Another building from the time of the Knights of Malta was the fort "It-Torri la 'Lanzun" (1713). In 1972 the castello was bought by the British officer Robert Gayre, Grand Commander of the Order of Lazarus, who restored the building and donated it to the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem (Obedience Malta). It was officially inaugurated on May 12, 1973 by Grand Master Francisco de Borbón y Borbón as the Order's official headquarters.

Thanks to its good view of the Great Harbor, the Għargħar hill became an important observation point for the Maltese troops who besieged the French forces in Valletta from 1798 to 1800. The defense yard "Ta 'Xindi" - located in the suburb of Kappara - became the headquarters of the well-known Maltese regimental captain Vincenzo Borg. This outpost was manned by no fewer than 568 soldiers from Birkirkara and Mosta . In a military operation, this battalion captured two 18-pound cannons on September 2, 1798, one of which reinforced the Kappara outpost.

The relative calm of the 19th century made further population growth possible. The area was little affected by World War II , although Torri Lanzun served as a lookout for approaching planes and was destroyed by bombs. However, the location played a role in the British Colonial Office's defense plans against a possible nuclear strike in the post-war period. This authority established the Civil Defense Corps in 1950 and initiated the construction of eight underground mills in Malta and Gozo to ensure a sufficient supply of flour in the event of war. One of these mills with a silo capacity of 1000 tons of wheat is located behind the San Ġwann state primary school.

In the 1950s, with the arrival of the Capuchin Brothers, a new chapter in the history of the place began. A convent and the church "Our Lady of Lourdes" were completed in December 1959. This church became a parish church when the place became an independent parish in 1965. The community got its name from the old San Ġwann tal-Għargħar chapel, which had served the community's ecclesiastical needs for so long. The parish church is still called "Our Lady of Lourdes" today.

The Local Councils Act of 1993 designates San Ġwann as a separate district with its own local government. The first council was elected on April 16, 1994, and the first mayor was Mr Antonio Cesareo. Local council elections take place every three years.

Some factories are located in the San Ġwann Industrial Estate on the outskirts of the city.

Attractions

• St. Margareth - Chapel
• Cart tracks from Mensija
• Mensija Church
• Wied Għomor
• Wied Għollieqa

Town twinning

Since 2003 the city has been twinned with Monreale in Sicily (Italy).

Web links

Commons : San Ġwann  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Wikivoyage: San Gwann  - travel guide

• Official website (English)
• Information about the city on Holidays Malta (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ StatDB of the National Statistics Office Malta , accessed on August 1, 2020