CITTA, FERDINAND

(information taken from Wikipedia)

In its demographic and topographical formation, Siġġiewi followed a pattern common to other villages in Malta. Before the arrival of the Order of St John in 1530, there were other thriving hamlets in the area. Little by little, Ħal Xluq, Ħal Kbir, Ħal Niklusi, and Ħal Qdieri were absorbed in Siġġiewi and today only their secluded chapels remain.

The origins of the name Siġġiewi are unknown. Some say it probably relates to the arabic word سَجَا (sajā) meaning 'to be quiet or calm', Hence Siġġiewi would mean a quiet place. Others say it may be a corruption of an old surname such as Sageyo. The areas around Siġġiewi were inhabited since the Maltese islands were occupied by the first farmers during the Neolithic period. The Neolithic sites of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra (3600-2500 BC) are within three kilometers of the village. Also within easy reach of the village are the Bronze Age settlement of Wardija ta’ San Gorg, almost at the southern tail end of Dingli Cliffs, and the Bronze Age cart ruts at ix-Xaghra ta’ Ghar il-Kbir (1500-750/800 BC).

An early Phoenician tomb was located in the area, and small Phoenician/Punic cemeteries are known to be on the hilltop of tal-Gholja and at ix-Xaghra ta’ Ghar il-kbir. In numerous places, Roman pottery scatters are often encountered, suggesting that the environs of Siġġiewi were also occupied during the Roman occupation of Malta and Gozo.  A series of early Christian catacombs are located close to Maghlaq valley. 

Siġġiewi's patron saint, Saint Nicholas, is perhaps one of the most popular saints in Byzantine hagiography. The survival of the saint's veneration may suggest that following the end of the catacomb era, some of Malta's villages may have retained old traditions that would very comfortably fall within Western and Eastern Christian domains. Hundreds of place names are known from various fields and locations around Siġġiewi. These names are Semitic but are of an unknown age, having been recorded in notarial deeds only in the Late Middle Ages. Some of these places developed into hamlets, and others may have supported small communities that were never recorded, but these hamlets would ultimately dwindle in importance in their coming years. The depopulation of the Maltese rural areas during the Great Siege of 1565 hastened the end of small hamlets around Malta and Gozo. The arrival of the Order of St John in Malta in 1530 ushered in new economic dynamics which made the new urban areas, and especially the new city of Valletta, more attractive than isolated villages.

 

The Armoury

Several buildings in Siġġiewi date back to knight Hospitaller rule, including the Armoury. Siġġiewi itself reflects these new concerns. Its growth may have been at the expense of neighboring hamlets. But market agglomeration around Siġġiewi, a promontory that stands between two important valleys and is therefore defensible, also encouraged geo-demographic changes.

On 30 December 1797, after a formal request by Don Salvatore Curso, on behalf of his parishioners, Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch instituted the village as a city, naming it after himself as "Città Ferdinand".

 

Parish Church of St Nicholas of Bari

The ruins of the former parish church, dedicated to St Nicholas of Bari are still visible today. Lately, great restoration works have been carried out and retrieved from its old glory. The baroque parish church, dedicated to the same saint, was erected by the villagers who raised the necessary funds between the years 1676 to 1693. It was designed by the Maltese architect, Lorenzo Gafà but underwent some changes throughout the years. The portico and naves were added by Professor Nicola Żammit in the latter half of the 19th century.

The titular painting in the church is by the artist Mattia Preti, 'Il calabrese', who was also responsible for the painting on the vault of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. The wooden statue which is carried in procession on the city feast day (the last Sunday of June) was sculptured by Pietro Felici in 1736.

Four years earlier, in 1732, the same sculptor had produced the stone statue which still stands in the center of the square. On its pedestal, there is a prayer in Latin which implores the saint to bless the fields which the faithful laboriously till.