Pietà, Malta Explained

Pietà
Native Name:Tal-Pietà
Native Name Lang:mt
Settlement Type:Local council
Coordinates:35.8931°N 14.4936°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Malta
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Eastern Region
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Northern Harbour District
Parts Type:Borders
Parts Style:para
P1:Floriana, Ħamrun, Msida
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Keith Tanti
Leader Party:PL
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:0.5
Population Total:4892
Population As Of:Jan. 2019
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:Pjetaniż (m), Pjetaniża (f), Pjetaniżi (pl)
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:PTA
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:356
Iso Code:MT-41
Blank Name Sec1:Patron saint
Blank Info Sec1:Our Lady of Fatima
Blank1 Name Sec1:Day of festa
Blank1 Info Sec1:Between last week of May and first Sunday of June
Website:Official website

Pietà (Maltese: Tal-Pietà) is a small harbour town in the Eastern Region of Malta, located near the outskirts of the capital city Valletta.

Etymology

The name is derived from Italian, and means "Pity".

Description

Pietà is the suburb next-closest to the capital after Floriana.

Malta's former national hospital, St. Luke's, is located in Tal-Pietà, and an old boathouse of notable historic interest, now in use as a restaurant, is located on the waterfront. The town is named after a Church of Our Lady of Sorrows dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries which is still in active use today.[1]

A couple of streets nearby bear the names of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica. Tal-Pietà was a departure point for the Gozo ferry before the construction of a yacht marina. The patrol boat depot of the Armed Forces of Malta is located at the Hay Wharf in nearby Floriana. Also within the boundaries of Pietà are St. Ursula's Orphanage; PBS, the national broadcaster; Villa Guardamangia, which served as the residence of then Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain (later Queen Elizabeth II), when she lived in Malta between 1949 and 1951; the Ta' Braxia Cemetery Complex is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission site and where many World War I garrison veterans from the British army and navy are buried; and the headquarters of the Nationalist Party. The party built its base here in 1969. Tal-Pietà is regarded as a suburb of Ħamrun, Msida, Floriana and Valletta. Most of its resident population over the past 50 years hails from this area.

The population of Pietà was 3,853 in November 2005, which had been an increase over previous years due to a new housing estate and the redevelopment of old homes over the past thirty years. In March 2014 the population stood at 4,020.[2]

A large number of Maltese citizens have Tal-Pietà as their place of birth, because many women gave birth at St. Luke's Hospital. Tal-Pietà is not, however, considered by the Maltese born there to be their home town, that being considered instead the town or city they first lived in.[3]

In August 2020, a group of enthusiasts formed the first band club in Tal-Pietà named Soċjetà Filarmonika Madonna ta' Fatima, Gwardamanġa - Pietà. The first General Meeting was in November 2021. By the first months, the band club had already nearly 100 members. The premises of the band club is at 231, Triq id-Duluri, Tal-Pietà.

Education

The secondary school campus of St. Augustine's College is located in Pietà and run by the Augustinian Order.[4]

Administration

The current Pietà local council members are:

Locations within Pietà

Zones in Tal-Pietà

Main roads in Tal-Pietà

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Busuttil . Roderick . Agius . Philippe . Il-knisja tad-Duluri ~ Pietà ~ . Kappelli Maltin . https://web.archive.org/web/20200111103212/http://www.kappellimaltin.com/Il-Kappelli/Sett01/PTA_Tad-Duluri/pta_tad-duluri.html . 11 January 2020 . mt.
  2. Web site: Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014. Government of Malta. https://web.archive.org/web/20150621211549/https://secure2.gov.mt/localgovernment/file.aspx?f=7810. 21 June 2015. 16 May 2014. dead. dmy-all.
  3. Web site: Pieta in Malta. My Guide Malta. en. 2020-02-29.
  4. https://staugustine.edu.mt/ St Augustine College