Gudja
| Gudja Il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Gudja Bir Miftuħ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Local council | |||
| Il-Gudja | |||
| |||
| Motto: Pluribus parens (Mother of many children) | |||
 | |||
| Coordinates: 35°50′54″N 14°30′9″E / 35.84833°N 14.50250°ECoordinates: 35°50′54″N 14°30′9″E / 35.84833°N 14.50250°E | |||
| Country |
 Malta | ||
| Island | Malta | ||
| Borders | Għaxaq, Luqa, Santa Luċija | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | John Mary Calleja (PL) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2.3 km2 (0.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (March 2011) | |||
| • Total | 2,946 | ||
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Gudjan (m), Gudjana (f), Gudjani (pl) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | GDJ | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| Patron saint | Assumption of Mary; Our Lady of Rosary; Our Lady of Consolation | ||
| Day of festa | August 15; 1st Sunday of October; last Sunday of October | ||
| Website | Official Website [1] | ||
Gudja is a village in Malta with a population of 2,946 as of March 2011.[2] 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. They currently (Season 2012/13)play in First Division after promotion from the Second Division in 2012.
Schools in Gudja
William Baker Primary School, St. Mark Street Gudja Primary School
St. Joan Antide School, Filippu Castagna Street, a school run by the sisters of St Joan Antide
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-Tarxien (Tarxien Road)
- Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
- Triq iż-Żebbuġa (Olive Street)
- Triq Raymond Caruana (Raymond Caruana Street)
- Vjal l-Avjazzjoni (Aviation Avenue)
Associations found in Gudja
Musical Groups:
- Għaqda Mużikali Marija Assunta,
- Soċjeta Filarmonika La Stella
Sports Groups:
- Gudja United Football Club,
- St. Patrick’s Athletic Club,
- Darts Group, c/o PO’s Bar,
- Gudja Youth Nursery, c/o Gudja United FC
Gudja Local Council
- Calleja John Mary k/a Mario (Mayor, PL)
- Baldacchino Romeo (Vice-Mayor, PL)
- Grech Demelsa (PL)
- Caruana Stefan (PN)
- Sammut Mark Anthony (PN)
-The last Local Council election took place on 9 March 2013. Each Local Council serves for 4 years.
-Gudja also had a Youth Local Council in 2010/2011.
-Previous Local Councils:
- 1994
Anglu Agius (Mayor), Connie Seguna (Councillor), Carmelo Dalli (Councillor), Josephine Spiteri (Councillor, Anthony Brincat (Councillor).
- 1997
John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Connie Seguna (Councillor), Horace Muscat (Councillor), Salvino Spiteri (Councillor), Angelo Agius (Vice-Mayor)
- 2000
John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Martin Gravina (Vice-Mayor), Anthony Brincat (Councillor), Lawrence Schembri (Councillor), Ivan Schembri (Councillor)
- 2003
John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Osvaldo Pace (Vice-Mayor), Martin Gravina (Councillor), Michel Mifsud (Councillor), Ivan Schembri (Councillor)
- 2006
Mark Anthony Sammut (Councillor), Frankie Gatt (Councillor), Romeo Baldacchino (Councillor), Osvaldo Pace (Vice-Mayor), John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor)
- 2009
John Mary k/a Mario Celleja (Mayor), Romeo Baldacchino (Vice-Mayor), Osvaldo Pace (Councillor), Anthony Dalli (Councillor), Mark Anthony Sammut (Councillor)
References
- ↑ Kunsilli Lokali - Il-Gudja - Dħul
- ↑ "Population statistics". Malta Government Gazette. mjha.gov.mt. 9 August 2011.
External links
- Gudja Local council
- Places to visit in Gudja
- La Stella Band Club
- Għaqda Mużikali Marija Assunta Gudja
- Gudja Primary School
- Gudja Parish
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