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Mtarfa

Coordinates:35°53′27″N14°23′49″E/ 35.89083°N 14.39694°E/35.89083; 14.39694
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Mtarfa
L-Imtarfa
Local council
Aerial view of Mtarfa
Flag of Mtarfa
Flag
Coat of arms of Mtarfa
Coat of arms
Coordinates:35°53′27″N14°23′49″E/ 35.89083°N 14.39694°E/35.89083; 14.39694
CountryMalta
RegionNorthern Region
DistrictWestern District
BordersAttard,Mdina,Rabat
Government
•MayorDaniel John Attard (PL)
Area
• Total0.7 km2(0.3 sq mi)
Population
(Jan. 2019)
• Total2,615
• Density3,700/km2(9,700/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Mtarfi (m), Mtarfija (f), Mtarfin (pl)
Time zoneUTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code
MTF
Dialing code356
ISO 3166 codeMT-35
Patron saintSaint Lucy
Day of festa13 December
WebsiteOfficial website

Mtarfa(Maltese:L-Imtarfa) is a small town in theNorthern RegionofMalta,with a population of 2,572 as of March 2014.[1]It was considered to be a suburb ofRabatuntil 2000, when it became a separatelocal council.

History[edit]

A number of historic silos were discovered in Mtarfa in October 1973.[2]

In theRoman period,Mtarfa was a suburb ofMelite,and it contained aTemple of Proserpina.The ruins of the temple were destroyed in the 17th and 18th centuries for reusing the stones in other buildings. Substantial remains of the suburb itself, including the arrangement of the streets and many tombs, survived until the late 19th century.[3][4]In 1890, British military barracks began to be built in Mtarfa, destroying most of the Roman remains in the process.[5]

A chapel dedicated to St. Lucy was first recorded in 1460, and is still standing to date. It is not currently in regular use.[6]

A clock tower, now a prominent landmark of Mtarfa, was built in 1895. A naval hospital,RNH Mtarfa,was built duringWorld War I,and it has now been converted to a state secondary school, named after SirTemi Zammit.[5][7]Achapel dedicated to St. Oswaldwas built by the British after the end of World War I.[8]

The British left a prominent impact on the most visible architecture in town by building theSt. David's Barracks.[9]After the British left Malta, the barracks were reused for multiple purposes, primarilysocial housing,and the town expanded further more into other modern residential areas.[10]In 1988, architectsKeith ColeandJoseph M. Spiteriwere commissioned to modify the barracks and convert them into homes for roughly 2,000 people.[7]After completion, they were appointed to design other new apartments, as one building, on a site provided by theHousing Authority.[7]

Politics and administration[edit]

Dar Kenn Għal Saħħtek[11][12]

Mtarfa was formerly part ofRabatlocal council,when local councils were first set up in Malta in 1993. In 2000 Mtarfa elected its first local council, after an amendment was made to the Local Councils Act.

In April 2008, due to failure on the part of the council to meet at least once a month as required by the Local Council Act, the Prime MinisterLawrence Gonzirecommended to the President of the Republic to dissolve the local council and to set up a temporary committee to administer the affairs of the locality. The Mtarfa local council had failed to meet since November 2007 allegedly over disagreements on the appointment of the council's Executive Secretary.[13]A special election was held in 2008 after the dissolution of the council.[14]The town has gone on to vote in further local council elections.

Mtarfa was declared an Autonomous Pastoral zone in 2000, and became an independent parish in the denomination of the Roman Catholic Church on 8 December 2004. The parish church is also dedicated toSaint Lucy.[15]

Sport[edit]

Mtarfa has its own football club,Mtarfa F.C.Founded in 2006, the club took part in the Maltese Third Division for the first time in their history in the 07/08 season. They entered the Malta Football Association in lieu of Ta' Xbiex F.C., who lost their status due to their consistent poor results in the lowest of Maltese divisions. Currently (2022–23) play in theMaltese Challenge League(second tier).

Former World Speedway ChampionMark Loram,who won the title representing Great Britain in 2000, was born in Mtarfa. British cyclistDavid Millarwas also born in Mtarfa, and won a gold medal representing Malta at the2001 Games of the Small States of Europe.[16]

Zones in Mtarfa[edit]

Mtarfa Clock Tower
The Statue of St. Nicholas, which stands on the site of a formerTemple of Proserpina

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014".Government of Malta.16 May 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 21 June 2015.
  2. ^Lanfranco, Guido."A Century Ago"(PDF).Retrieved31 December2019.
  3. ^Caruana, Antonio Annetto(1882).Report on the Phoenician and Roman antiquities in the group of the islands of Malta.Malta:Government Printing Office. p. 94.
  4. ^Cardona, David (2008–2009)."The known unknown: identification, provenancing, and relocation of pieces of decorative architecture from Roman public buildings and other private structures in Malta".Malta Archaeological Review(9): 43.
  5. ^ab"RNH Mtarfa".OpenBuildings.Retrieved3 July2015.
  6. ^"Restoration Of Mtarfa chapel ready by end of month - The Malta Independent".independent.mt.Retrieved31 December2019.
  7. ^abcC. Spiteri, Stephen(2014).Joseph M Spiteri - A Maltese architect and his work.Book Distributors Limited. pp. 52–55.ISBN978-99957-46-36-0.
  8. ^Scerri, John."Mtarfa".Malta-Canada.Retrieved3 July2015.
  9. ^Bonnici, Joseph; Cassar, Michael (2004).A Chronicle of Twentieth Century Malta.Book Distributors Limited. p. 298.ISBN9789990972276.
  10. ^S. Formosa; S. Scicluna; J. Azzopardi (January 2013). Saviour Formosa; Sandra Scicluna; Jacqueline Azzopardi (eds.).Realities of Crime, Society and Landuse in the Mediterranean: JANUS I(PDF).Msida:Department of Criminology,University of Malta.p. 88.doi:10.13140/2.1.1230.4322.ISBN978-99957-834-0-2.Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2017.
  11. ^Aquilina1, Francesca Falzon; Grech, Anton; Zerafa, Darleen; Agius, Mark; Voon, Valerie (2015)."'Dar Kenn Ghal Sahhtek' - an eating disorder and obesity service in Malta "(PDF).Psychiatria Danubina.27(Suppl. 1): 526–529.Retrieved21 July2020.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^Falzon Aquilina, F.; Grech, A.; Zerafa, D.; Agius, M.; Voon, V. (2016)."'Dar Kenn Ghal Sahhtek' – an Effective Therapeutic Intervention ".European Psychiatry.33:S427–S428.doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1548.S2CID76122843– viaResearchGate.
  13. ^"Temporary committee to take over at Mtarfa".Times of Malta.22 April 2008.Retrieved3 July2015.
  14. ^"Electoral Commission of Malta Mtarfa Local Council Election".electoral.gov.mt.
  15. ^"Mtarfa".Archdiocese of Malta.Retrieved31 December2019.
  16. ^Camilleri, Valhmor (18 May 2011)."Millar to race for Malta".Times of Malta.Retrieved5 November2018.

External links[edit]

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