Santa Venera

This article is about the town in Malta. For the saint of this name, see Saint Venera. For the temple in Gozo, see Santa Verna.
Santa Venera
Local council
Il-Kunsill Lokali ta' Santa Venera

Town hall and part of the Wignacourt Aqueduct at Santa Venera

Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: Virtus in infirmitatate per fictur
Coordinates: 35°53′23″N 14°28′40″E / 35.88972°N 14.47778°ECoordinates: 35°53′23″N 14°28′40″E / 35.88972°N 14.47778°E
Country  Malta
Island Malta
Borders Ħamrun, Birkirkara, Qormi, Msida
Government
 • Mayor Stephen Sultana (PL)
Area
 • Total 0.9 km2 (0.3 sq mi)
Population (March 2013)
 • Total 6,941
 • Density 7,700/km2 (20,000/sq mi)
Demonym

Vendriż (m), Vendriża (f), Vendriżi (pl)

Vendrin (m), Vendrina (f), Vendrini (pl)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code SVR
Dialing code 356
Patron saint St. Venera
Day of festa Santa Venera Last Sunday of July and 14 November

Santa Venera is a town in the Northern Harbour District of Malta, with a population of around 6,941 (March 2013).[1] It is located between the towns of Birkirkara and Ħamrun, and it also borders Qormi and Msida.

The football team of St. Venera is the St. Venera Lightnings F.C., which bears the colours of the town: yellow and blue.

History

Casa Leoni

The first Church of St Venera was built in 1473, and it was enlarged in 1500, rebuilt between 1658 and 1688 and again in the 19th century. This church remained as the parish church until a new church was consecrated in 2005.[2]

In 1610, Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt financed the building of the Wignacourt Aqueduct to transport water from springs in Rabat and Dingli to the capital Valletta, passing through various towns along the way including Santa Venera. The Aqueduct was finished in 1615, and an ornamental gateway was built where it crossed the road between what is now Fleur-de-Lys and Santa Venera. The arches stopped at a tower known as it-Turretta (the Turret), also in Santa Venera. From this tower, water continued its journey to Ħamrun, Blata l-Bajda, Floriana and Valletta through underground pipes.

Casa Leoni, also known as Palazzo Manoel, was built around 1730 during the reign of António Manoel de Vilhena. Its design is attributed to Charles François de Mondion, the French military engineer who also designed Mdina Gate and parts of Fort Manoel. During the French blockade, Casa Leoni served as a Maltese insurgent command base, and it later served as a residence of Governors of Malta, a depository of the Museums Department and a government primary school. It now houses the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change. The palace has a large garden behind it, part of which was opened to the public in 1977 as Romeo Romano Gardens.[3]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the town of Santa Venera saw more development and various churches and institutes were built.[2] The town was considered as part of Birkirkara until 1912, and it became a separate parish six years later in 1918.

A 7 Up factory was located at Santa Venera until it was closed in 2002. The factory was demolished to make way for flats but the facades of the buildings were retained.[4]

In 1990, a large church began to be built in Santa Venera. Although it is still unfinished as the belfries have not yet been built, it was consecrated in 2005 as the new parish church.[5]

Symbols

The flag and coat of arms of Santa Venera are red with a white stripe in the middle and three red fleur-de-lys on the stripe, taken from the coat of arms of the Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt who ruled the islands from 1601 to 1622. The flag was introduced when Malta's local councils were created in 1993. In 2013, there was a proposal for a new flag with the colours of the town blue and yellow however this was not adopted.

Education

Vincenzo Bugeja Conservatory and Chapel of St Vincent

Santa Venera has several schools:

Organizations

Main roads

Zones in Santa Venera

References

  1. ↑ "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2013" (PDF). Malta Government Gazette 19,094. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Santa Venera". malta-canada.com. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Palazzo Manoel – Casa Leoni, Sta Venera". Times of Malta. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Ex 7-Up factory to become flats". Times of Malta. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Archbishop inaugurates new parish church". Times of Malta. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Santa Venera.