Gudja

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Gudja
Il-Gudja
Local council
Gudja parish church
Gudja parish church
Flag of Gudja
Flag		 Coat of arms of Gudja
Coat of arms
Motto: Pluribus parens
(Mother of many children)
Gudja in Malta.svg
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Malta
Region Southern Region
District South Eastern District
Borders Għaxaq, Luqa, Santa Luċija
Government
 • Mayor John Mary Calleja (PL)
Area
 • Total 2.3 km2 (0.9 sq mi)
Population (March 2014)
 • Total 2,997
 • Density 1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Gudjan (m), Gudjana (f), Gudjani (pl)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code GDJ
Dialing code 356
ISO 3166 code MT-11
Patron saints Assumption of Mary; Our Lady of Rosary; Our Lady of Consolation
Day of festa 15 August; 1st Sunday of October; last Sunday of October
Website No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Gudja is a village in the Southern Region of Malta with a population of 2,997 (estimation between 20 newborn babies per year) as of March 2013.[1] 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.

A palace known as Palazzo Dorell is located in Gudja. It served as the headquarters for British forces under General Graham during the French blockade of 1798–1800.[2]

The parish church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and it's the only one in Malta with 3 bell towers.[3] 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 600-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.

The architect Girolamo Cassar, who is known for designing many buildings in Valletta, was possibly born in Gudja (although some sources state that he was from Birgu).[4]

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 [1]

Interesting Places at Gudja

  • St. Mary's Parish Church (at Main Street)
  • Annunciation Chapel (at Annunciation Street)
  • Palazzo Dorell, also known as Bettina Palace and Villa Dorell (at Gudja By-Pass)[5]
  • 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:

  • Soċjeta Filarmonika La Stella
  • Ghada Muzikali Marija Assunta

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, Carmelo Dalli, Josephine Spiteri, Anthony Brincat

1997

John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Angelo Agius (Vice-Mayor), Connie Seguna, Horace Muscat, Salvino Spiteri

2000

John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Martin Gravina (Vice-Mayor), Anthony Brincat, Lawrence Schembri, Ivan Schembri

2003

John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Osvaldo Pace (Vice-Mayor), Martin Gravina, Michel Mifsud, Ivan Schembri

2006

John Mary k/a Mario Calleja (Mayor), Osvaldo Pace (Vice-Mayor), Mark Anthony Sammut, Frankie Gatt, Romeo Baldacchino

2009

John Mary k/a Mario Celleja (Mayor), Romeo Baldacchino (Vice-Mayor), Osvaldo Pace, Anthony Dalli, Mark Anthony Sammut

References

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External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.malta.com/en/about-malta/city-village/gudja
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ http://islandofgozo.org/place?id=193&item=dorell-palace-and-xlejli-tower
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