Valletta
From maltawiki.com
This article is about the Maltese city of Valletta. See also the list of cities in Malta.
Valletta is the capital city of Malta. In Maltese, Valletta is popularly known as Il-Belt, meaning The City. Valletta is located in the east of the island of Malta and has a population of 6,098 as of December 2008.
Contents |
[edit] History of Valletta
The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John, Jean Parisot de la Valette on 28 March 1566. La Valette placed the first stone in Our Lady of Victories Church.
The fortress city was built on the arid rock of Mount Sceberras peninsula, which rises steeply from two deep harbours, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. Finished in 1581, Valletta was completed, with its bastions, forts and cathedral, in the astonishingly short time of 15 years.
Valletta has been ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of St. John.
Throughout World War II, Nazi and Fascist air raids caused much destruction to the city.
[edit] Origin of the name of Valletta
The name of Valletta was given to the city by the Order of St. John after Jean Parisot de la Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. The name that was originally given to the city by the Order was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta, or Città Umilissima in Italian.
[edit] Valletta as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The city of Valletta was officially recognised and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1980.
The city was given this honour because of two criteria set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization:
(i) to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius
(vi) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
- UNESCO
See also the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Malta.
[edit] Transportation
Valletta is served by Malta International Airport, which is located 8 kilometres from the city.
Buses in Malta operate mostly on routes to or from Valletta, with their central terminus just outside the city's entrance.
Traffic within the city itself is restricted, with some principal roads being completely pedestrian areas.
See also the article about infrastructure in Malta.
[edit] Parish Feasts in Valletta
As in all Maltese cities, a number of parish feasts are celebrated in Valletta annually.
- The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on 16 July
- Saint Paul's feast is celebrated on 10 February
- Saint Dominic's feast is celebrated in Valletta on August 4 or before
- The feast of Saint Augustine is celebrated on the third Sunday after Easter
- The city's residents also conduct an annual procession in honor of St. Rita
See also start.com.mt's calendar for a complete overview of religious feasts in Malta.
[edit] The market of Valletta
See the full article about the market on Merchant's street in Valletta.
[edit] Holiday Accommodation in Valletta
See the full article on hotels in Valletta.