Santa Venera

Santa Venera

coat of arms	map
Basic data
State :	Malta
Gzejjer :	Malta Majjistral (Northwest Malta)
Distretti :	Northern Harbor
Area :	0,905,798 km²
Residents :	7590 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	8379 inhabitants / km²
ISO 3166-2 :	MT-54
Postal code :	SVR
Website :	lc.gov.mt/Page.aspx?catid=51&pid=184&lid=1
politics
Mayor :	Elizabeth Vella ( PN )

Coordinates: 35 ° 53 '  N , 14 ° 29'  E

Santa Venera is a city in Malta . It is located west of the two large natural harbors, Grand Harbor and Marsamxett . The oldest buildings are the Wignacourt Aqueduct, which was built under the aegis of the Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt to supply Valletta with water , and the Casa Leone , both built by the Knights of the Order of Malta .

history

The first church dedicated to the martyr Venera (Veneranda) was built here in the 15th century . A settlement developed around this church. The church building was expanded in 1500 and rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries. It was the parish church of the village until 1990 , after which this status was transferred to a new building, which was blessed in 2005 .

In 1610, the Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt financed the construction of the Wignacourt Aqueduct to transport water from the sources in Rabat and Dingli to the capital Valletta. This line also passed Santa Venera. The aqueduct was completed in 1615 and had a decorative arch with a prominent tower, where the road between today's Fleur-de-Lys and Santa Venera was crossed.

Casa Leone, also known as Palazzo Manoel, was built around 1730 during the reign of António Manoel de Vilhena. The design is attributed to Charles François de Mondion, the French military engineer who also built in Mdina and designed parts of Fort Manoel. During the French blockade, Casa Leone served as the command base for the Maltese insurgents. It later became the residence of the governors of Malta, then a depot for the museum department and a state primary school. In the 21st century, the Ministry for Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Change is located in the building complex. The palace has a large courtyard garden that was opened to the public as Romeo Romano Gardens in 1977 .

The economy and the population grew in the late 19th and 20th centuries, and more churches and institutes were built, including a factory. Until 1912, Santa Venera was part of Birkirkara as a district . In 1918 the independent community of the same name was formed. The factory was demolished to make way for apartments, but its facades were retained and incorporated into the residential buildings.

Personalities

• Lynn Chircop (* 1980), singer and television and radio presenter

Web links

Commons : Santa Venera  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Santa Venera Online (English / Maltese) ( Memento from January 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

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