| Qormi Il-Kunsill Lokali ta' Ħal Qormi Città Pinto Casal Fornaro, Casal Curmi |
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| — Local council — | |||
| Rahal Qormi | |||
| Qormi by night, as seen from Marsa | |||
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| Motto: Altior ab Imo | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Malta | ||
| Island | Malta | ||
| District | |||
| Borders | Luqa, Marsa, Ħamrun, Żebbuġ, Birkirkara, Attard, Santa Venera, Balzan, Siġġiewi | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Jesmond Aquilina (MLP) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 5.0 km2 (1.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (3rd largest locality) | |||
| • Total | 18,550 | ||
| • Density | 3,710/km2 (9,608.9/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Maltese: | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | QRM | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| Zones | Fuq tal-Blat, Ħara l-Belha, San Bastjan, San Dwardu, San Ġorġ, Ta' Farsina, Tal-Ħandaq, Tal-Ħlas, il-Vitorja, il-Wied. | ||
| Patron saint | St. George; St. Sebastian | ||
| Day of festa | St. George (Last Sunday of June); St. Sebastian (3rd Sunday of July) | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Qormi (in Maltese: Hal Qormi [ħal ʔormi], in the Qormi dialect pronounced Ħar Qurmi; also known as Città Pinto) is a city in Malta with a population of 18,550 (as of November 2010), which makes it the second largest locality in Malta. The town is located southwest of Valletta, in the centre of Malta.
The bordering towns of Qormi are Marsa, Luqa, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi, Ħamrun, Birkirkara, Attard, Santa Venera and Balzan.
Qormi has two parishes, one dedicated to Saint George and one to Saint Sebastian. There are also two valleys in Qormi, Wied il-Kbir (The Large Valley), and Wied is-Sewda (Black Valley).
Elder inhabitants of Qormi speak a thick Qormi Dialect, yet this is now in decline.
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There are indications of it being inhabited in antiquity. Bronze Age pottery was found in the area known as Stabal indicating presence of humans as early as 1500-800 BC. Punic tombs have been found at St Edward's Street and Tal-Bajjada. Also, some Ancient Roman remains were found in the valley of Wied il-Kbir. However, chances are that in these times, there were only small communities in the whereabouts of Qormi.
It was only in the Middle Ages that it started to grow and prosper, probably thanks to its proximity to the Grand Harbour and its central position. The first written reference to the town is made in 1417 where it is recorded that the town provided some 100 men to serve in the Dejma, the national guard.[1]
The town is likely to have suffered a period of decline during the Great Siege of Malta due to the proximity of the Turkish camp in Marsa.
When Mons. Pietro Dusina, Malta's first Inquisitor and Apostolic Delegate, wrote his report of 1575 he records Qormi as being one of the active parishes administering a large area which today includes Ħamrun and even Valletta. The present St George Parish church was completed in 1684[2]
In 1743 the town made a plea to Grandmaster Emanoel Pinto de Fonseca to elevate it to the level of a "city". This was granted and the town received the title of Città Pinto on 25 May 1743.[1] The decree issued by Pinto said "Habita relatione, Terra Curmi erigmus In Civitatem, Imponentes el nomen Pinto", which means that the land of Qormi, to which he gave his own name Pinto, was then given higher dignity from a piece of land to a city, a fact which is now preserved in the locality's Latin motto: "Altior Ab Imo" (which means, rising from the low). Qormi's bakers served most of the island's bread supplies.
Qormi also experienced plague, which led to some declines throughout its history. However during the British rule, Qormi moved on with new institutions opening up, mainly schools. Following 1850 Qormi became one of the largest inhabited centres in Malta, with amenities such as water and electricity, which were somewhat rare in those times. Trade and crafts grew, especially Horse racing which is a hobby that Maltese often attribute to people from Qormi.
During the World Wars, Qormi played a small part as well. In World War I, many people from Qormi were employed at several British bases such as in Thessaloniki, and the ones in Qormi as well, such as the airship station in the area known as Saint Sebastian, which would later become a parish itself. In World War II, people from Qormi formed part of the Armed Forces. Qormi also became a refuge to many people from the Cottonera area, which was badly hit because this area sits off the Grand Harbour, and area which was fiercely attacked by the Axis powers. Qormi, although close, is not exactly in the Grand Harbour region, making it ideal for refuge in those times.
Qormi has two parishes, dedicated to Saint George and Saint Sebastian. Saint George's parish was the first one. However, when Qormi was growing, there was the need for the city to be split into two parishes to facilitate growth. Saint Sebastian was chosen because Qormi had turned to him during times of plague infestation, since he is the protector and patron saint of people ill from plague, according to Catholic tradition. This led to many Qormi citizens carrying the name of Ġorġ (George) and Bastjan (Sebastian) and their equivalents and derivatives.
Nowadays Qormi is the third largest locality in the nation of Malta, with two parishes, several institutions and a local council that governs the locality.
Local governance existed during the French occupation of Malta (1798–1800) however this was a limited and short-lived experiment. It was only in the 1990s that local councils were introduced in Malta with the first local council elections in Qormi taking place in 1994. Subsequent elections took place in 1998, 2001,[3] 2004[4] and 2007.[5]
The following served as Qormi mayors:
Two mayors, Clyde Puli and Roderick Galdes, went on to serve as MPs in the House of Representatives of Malta with their respective parties representing the electoral district Qormi forms part of, with Puli being appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport.
Malta's staple food is bread and Maltese bread is very much sought after. Qormi is recognized nationally as the capital of Maltese bread-making. It boasts the largest number of bakeries in the country, several of which still operate in the traditional manner using wood-fired ovens.
The importance of Qormi's history was highlighted back in 2007 when for the first time in its local history, Qormi hosted the national event of 'Lejl f'Casal Fornaro', meaning 'A night in Casal Fornaro' as Qormi was known hundreds of years ago. This event brought the greatest thousands that Qormi never witnessed before, outgrowing even the attendance for the traditional feasts. So much was this event successful, that this activity was also done in 2008 and 2009, and is waiting the fourth edition on 16 October 2010. In this activity the tourist will enter into a traditional Maltese village, will see tens of different shows and exhibitions showing the traditional life of Qormi, and can also find the tasty purely traditional Maltese food.
Qormi also holds an annual Qormi Wine Festival and Malta National Spring Festival. On the 3rd edition of the Malta National Spring Festival, some Qormi Bakers baked the biggest loaf in the world which weighed 2 tons and containing a diameter of 9 feet.[6] The loaf is going to be entered in the Guinness World Records as from 2012.
Qormi has two patron saints which are Saint George and Saint Sebastian.
Qormi is divided into two parishes dedicated to these two saints. The first parish was that of Saint George. The parish of Saint Sebastian was created in 1936 after being made into a subsidiary parish in 1918.[7] The origins of this parish go back to a statue to the saint erected as an act of thanksgiving for deliverance during the plague of 1813 and a small church built in 1880.[7] For two weeks in summer, the town celebrates the feasts of its saints. The feast of Saint George is celebrated in the last Sunday of June, while the feast of Saint Sebastian is celebrated in the third Sunday of July.
The town is also known for its Good Friday procession from the church of Saint George which features a number of life-size statues and over 500 participants.
Under the guidance of the St George archpriest, there is the Kumitat Festi Esterni (AD 1919). This committee is responsabile of a large number of activities, which raise funds fo the organization of the local festa. It is the first committee of the sort in Malta.
Parish Priests of Saint George Parish
Dun Marku de Torrante 1436-1440(1456)
Dun Ġulju Lombardo 1440(1456)-1480
Dun Ġwann Saura 1504-1508
Dun Gregorju Saura 1519-1526
Patri Salvatore Bigeni1526-1534
Dun Xmun Frendo 1534
Dun Ġiljan Borġ 1534-1560
Dun Ġwann Cilia 1563-1565
Dun Marjanu Briffa 1569-1582
Dun Mattew Magro 1582-1583
Dun Franġisk Cassia 1585-1615
Dr. Dun Salv Cilia 1615-1629
Dun Franġisk Cilia 1629-1634
Dr. Dun Mario Muscat 1632/34-1643
Dun Marċell Attard Vagnoli 1643-1655
Dr. Dun Wistin Cassia 1658-1669
Dr. Dun Franġisk Petralita 1670-1678
Dr. Dun Karlu Schembri1678-1680
Dun Ġwann Muscat 1680-1695
Dr. Dun Lawrenz Vella 1695-1701
Dun Silvestru Desira 1701-1733
Dr. Dun Ġużepp Vella 1733-1776
Dr. Dun Gejtanu Palma 1776-1793
Dun Ġużepp Caruana 1794-1799
Dun Ġużepp Formosa 1800-1807
Dun Pietru Farrugia 1809-1815
Dr. Dun Pietru Pawl Psaila 1815-1821
Dr. Dun Ġwann Desos 1821-1850
Dr. Dun Salv Schembri 1850-1854
Dun Ġwann Borg 1854-1867
Dun Alwiġ Ellul 1867-1888
Dun Manwel Pace 1888-1917
Dun Vincent Azzopardi 1918-1933
Dun Anton Vella 1934-1955
Dun Gerald Frendo 1955-1978
Dun Pawl Attard 1978-1981
Dun Edgar Attard 1981-1987
Dun Karm Aquilina 1987-1995
Dun Frans Abdilla 1995-2005
Dun Anton Cassar 2005-
Parish Priests of Saint Sebastian Parish
Dun Alwiġ Psaila 1936-1957
Dun Ġużepp Cauchi 1957-1969
Dun Vinċenz Deguara 1969-1988
Dun Charles Cordina 1988-1995
Dun Walter Cauchi 1995-2008
Dun Joseph Buhagiar 2008-
| Club | Sport | League |
|---|---|---|
| Qormi FC | Football | Maltese Premier League |
| Qormi HC | Hockey | Maltese National Hockey League |
| Qormi Sharks RFC | Rugby Union | Maltese National Rugby League |
| Qormi BC | Basketball | Maltese National Basketball League |
| Qormi Clay Shooting Club | Clay Pigeon Shooting | |
| Qormi Klabb tal-Boċċi San Sebastjan | Boċċi | |
| Qormi Klabb tal-Boċċi San Ġorġ | Boċċi | |
| Qormi Cycling Club | Cycling | |
| Qormi Athletic Club | Athletics | |
| Ċaċċu Social Club | Pool/Darts | |
| Qormi Pigeon Racing Club | Pigeon Racing |
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