Country Area 0.9 km2 | Mayor Stephen Sultana (PL) Population 6,941 | |
Santa Venera is a town in the Northern Harbour District of Malta, with a population of around 6,941 (March 2013). It is located between the towns of Birkirkara and Hamrun, and it also borders Qormi and Msida.
Contents
Map of Santa Venera
The football team of St. Venera is the St. Venera Lightnings F.C., which bears the colours of the town: yellow and blue.
History
The first Church of St Venera was built in 1473, and it was enlarged in 1500, rebuilt between 1658 and 1688 and again in the 19th century. This church remained as the parish church until a new church was consecrated in 2005.
In 1610, Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt financed the building of the Wignacourt Aqueduct to transport water from springs in Rabat and Dingli to the capital Valletta, passing through various towns along the way including Santa Venera. The Aqueduct was finished in 1615, and an ornamental gateway was built where it crossed the road between what is now Fleur-de-Lys and Santa Venera. The arches stopped at a tower known as it-Turretta (the Turret), also in Santa Venera. From this tower, water continued its journey to Hamrun, Blata l-Bajda, Floriana and Valletta through underground pipes.
Casa Leoni, also known as Palazzo Manoel, was built around 1730 during the reign of Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. Its design is attributed to Charles Francois de Mondion, the French military engineer who also designed Mdina Gate and parts of Fort Manoel. During the French blockade, Casa Leoni served as a Maltese insurgent command base, and it later served as a residence of Governors of Malta, a depository of the Museums Department and a government primary school. It now houses the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change. The palace has a large garden behind it, part of which was opened to the public in 1977 as Romeo Romano Gardens.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the town of Santa Venera saw more development and various churches and institutes were built. The town was considered as part of Birkirkara until 1912, and it became a separate parish six years later in 1918.
A 7 Up factory was located at Santa Venera until it was closed in 2002. The factory was demolished to make way for flats but the facades of the buildings were retained.
In 1990, a large church began to be built in Santa Venera. Although it is still unfinished as the belfries have not yet been built, it was consecrated in 2005 as the new parish church.