Gudja
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| Gudja | |
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 Coat of arms |
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Motto: Pluribus parens (Mother of many children) |
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| Official name: | Il-Gudja |
| Inhabitants' name: | Gudjan (m), Gudjana (f), Gudjani (pl) |
| Other names: | Bir Miftuħ (in the past) (code: GDJ) |
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| Latitude: | 35°50 '54" N |
| Longitude: | 14°30 '9" E |
| Area: | 2.3km² |
| Population total: | 2,923 (Nov 2005) |
| Population density: | 1,299/km² |
| Borders: | Għaxaq, Luqa, Santa Luċija |
| Patron saint: | Assumption of Mary; Our Lady of Rosary; Our Lady of Girdle |
| Day of festa: | August 15; 1st Sunday of October; last Sunday of October |
| Mayor: | Mario Calleja (MLP) |
| Website: | gudja.org.mt |
Gudja (or Il-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 and Tarxien, which at one time these were all part of the parish church of Gudja.
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 the 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 was sculpted out of solid wood in 1807 by the Maltese Vincenzo Dimech.
Gudja also has a famous 500 year-old chapel of Bir Miftuħ (which means "open well").
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.
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[edit] Band Clubs
- Mary the Assumption Band Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali Marija Assunta)
- La Stella Philarmonic Society (Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika La Stella
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[edit] 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 in front of the runway on the road leading to Ħal Far)
[edit] 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)
[edit] 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)
[edit] Gudja Streets that show the Roman Catholic Faith
- Sqaq Santa Katerina Nru.2 u Nru.3 (St. Catherine Alley No.2 and No.3)
- Sqaq Santa Marija (St. Mary Alley)
- Triq il-Kappillan (Chaplin Street)
- Triq l-Annunzjata (Annunciation Street)
- Triq San Ċiru (St. Cirus Street)
- Triq San Ġorġ (St. George Street)
- Triq San Mark (St. Mark Street)
- Triq San Pawl (St. Paul Street)
- Triq Santa Katerina (St. Catherine Street)
- Triq Santa Marija (St. Mary Street)
- Triq Tal-Kappella (Chapel Street)
- Żona ta' Loretu (Our Lady of Loreto Area)
[edit] External links
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