Qormi 1630986 219829323 2008-06-17T01:37:31Z Tsum60 3798910 /* Notable people */ {{Towns (Malta) |name = Qormi |coa = Qormi_coa.svg |motto = Altior ab Imo |official_name = Ħal-Qormi |inhabitants_name = Qormi (m), Qormija (f), Qriema (pl), Qormin (pl) |other_names = Città Pinto, Casal Fornaro, Casal Curmi (code: QRM) |map = Qormi-map.svg |latitude = 35°52 '46" |longitude = 14°28 '20" |area = 5.0 |population_total = 16,559 (3rd largest locality) |population_density = 3,292 |borders = [[Luqa]], [[Marsa]], [[Ħamrun]], [[Żebbuġ, Malta|Żebbuġ]], [[Birkirkara]], [[Attard]], [[Santa Venera]], [[Balzan]], [[Siġġiewi]] |saint = [[Saint George|St. George]]; [[Sebastian|St. Sebastian]] |feast = St. George (4th Sunday of June); St. Sebastian (in July) |mayor = [[Jesmond Aquilina]] ([[Malta Labour Party|MLP]]) |website = [http://www.qormi.gov.mt/ qormi.gov.mt] }} __NOTOC__ [[Image:Qormi night from Marsa.JPG|left|thumb|Qormi by night, as seen from [[Marsa]].]] '''Qormi''' (pronounced '' 'Or'mee'', {{lang-mt|'''Ħal Qormi'''}}) is a city in [[Malta]] with a population of 16,576 (as of November 2005), which makes it the third largest locality in Malta. It has the title of '''Città Pinto'''. The town is located southwest of [[Valletta]], in the centre of Malta. The bordering towns of Qormi are [[Marsa]], [[Luqa]], [[Żebbuġ, Malta|Żebbuġ]], [[Siġġiewi]], [[Ħamrun]], [[Birkirkara]], [[Attard]], [[Santa Venera]] and [[Balzan]]. Qormi has two parishes, one dedicated to [[Saint George]] and one to [[Saint Sebastian]]. There are also two valleys in Qormi, ''Wied il-Kbir'' (The Large Valley), and ''Wied is-Sewda'' (Black Valley). Elder inhabitants of Qormi speak a thick [[Qormi Dialect]], yet this is now in decline. ==History== [[Image:Pinto Arch.JPG|thumb|left|The arch of Grandmaster Emanoel Pinto de Fonseca.]] There are indications of it being inhabited in antiquity. Remains of [[Bronze Age]] settlements have been found beneath Qormi buildings. These however are probably [[Punic]] remains. Also, some [[Ancient Roman]] remains were found in the valley of ''Wied il-Kbir''. However, chances are that in these times, there were only small communities in the whereabouts of Qormi. It was only in the Middle Ages that it started to grow and prosper, probably thhanks to its proximity to the Grand Harbour and its central position. The first written reference to the town is made in [[1417]] where it is recorded that the town provided some 100 men to serve in the [[Dejma]], the national guard<ref>[http://www.cittapinto.com/storja.htm Citta Pinto Site<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. The town is likely to have suffered a period of decline during the [[Great Siege of Malta]] due to the proximity of the Turkish camp in Marsa. When Mons. [[Pietro Dusina]], Malta's first [[Inquisitor]] and [[Apostolic Delegate]] wrote his report of 1575 he records Qormi as being one of the active parishes administering a large area which today includes [[Ħamrun]] and even [[Valletta]]. The present St George Parish church was completed in [[1684]]<ref>[http://www.visitmalta.com/qormi The Official Tourism Site for Malta, Gozo and Comino : What to See & Do : Island Attractions : Towns and Villages : Villages : Malta Villages : :Qormi<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1743 the town made a plea to Grandmaster [[Manuel Pinto de Fonseca|Emanoel Pinto de Fonseca]] to elevate it to the level of a "city". This was granted and the town received the title of ''Città Pinto'' on [[25 May]], [[1743]]<ref>[http://www.cittapinto.com/storja.htm Citta Pinto Site<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. The decree issued by Pinto said "''Habita relatione, Terra Curmi erigmus In Civitatem, Imponentes el nomen Pinto''", which means that the land of Qormi, to which he gave his own name Pinto, was then given higher dignity from a piece of land to a city, a fact which is now preserved in the locality's latin motto: "''Altior Ab Imo''" (which means, rising from the low). Qormi's bakers served most of the island's bread supplies. Qormi also experienced plague, which led to some declines throughout its history. However during the British rule, Qormi moved on with new institutions opening up, mainly schools. Following [[1850]] Qormi became one of the largest inhabited centres in Malta, with amenities such as water and electricity, which were somewhat rare in those times. Trade and crafts grew, especially [[Horse racing]] which is a hobby that Maltese often attribute to people from Qormi. During the [[World Wars]], Qormi played a small part as well. In [[World War I]], many people from Qormi were employed at several British bases such as in [[Thessaloniki]], and the ones in Qormi as well, such as the airship station in the area known as Saint Sebastian, which would later become a parish itself. In [[World War II]], people from Qormi formed part of the Armed Forces. Qormi also became a refuge to many people from the [[Cottonera]] area, which was badly hit due to the fact that this area sits off the [[Grand Harbour]], and area which was fiercly attacked by the [[Axis powers]]. Qormi, although close, is not exactly in the Grand Harbour region, making it ideal for refuge in those times. Qormi has two parishes, dedicated to [[Saint George]] and [[Saint Sebastian]]. Saint George's parish was the first one, however when Qormi was growing, there was the need for the city to be split into two parishes to facilitate growth. Saint Sebastian was chosen because Qormi had turned to him during times of plague infestation, since he is the protector and patron saint of people ill from plague, according to Catholic tradition. This led to many Qormi citizens carrying the name of ''Ġorġ'' (George) and ''Bastjan'' (Sebastian) and their equivalents and derivatives. Nowadays Qormi is the third largest locality in the nation of Malta, with two parishes, several institutions and a local council that governs the locality. ==Governance== Local governance existed during the French occupation of Malta (1798-1800) however this was a limited and short-lived experiment. It was only in the 1990s that local councils were introduced in Malta with the first local council elections in Qormi taking place in 1994. Subsequent elections took place in 1998, 2001<ref>[http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/elections/2001/03/qormi1.asp Department of Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, 2004<ref>[http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/elections/2004/06lc/qormi1.asp Department of Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and 2007<ref>[http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/elections/2007/03/qormi01.asp Department of Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. ===Mayors=== The following served as Qormi mayors: *[[George Portelli]] (Independent): 1994-97 *[[Alfred Mallia]] (Independent): 1997-98 *[[Clyde Puli]] ([[Partit Nazzjonalista|Nationalist Party]]): 1998-2001 *[[Roderick Galdes]] ([[Malta Labour Party]]): 2001-2004 *[[Jesmond Aquilina]] (Malta Labour Party): since 2004 Two mayors, Clyde Puli and Roderick Galdes, went on to serve as MPs in the [[House of Representatives of Malta]] with their respective parties representing the electoral district Qormi forms part of, with Puli being appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport. ==Culture== ===Cuisine=== Malta's staple food is bread and [[Maltese_cuisine#.C4.A6ob.C5.BCa_tal-Malti_.28Maltese_bread.29|Maltese bread]] is very much sought after. Qormi is recognized nationally as the capital of [[Maltese_cuisine#.C4.A6ob.C5.BCa_tal-Malti_.28Maltese_bread.29|Maltese bread]]-making. It boasts the largest number of bakeries in the country, several of which still operate in the traditional manner using wood-fired ovens. Qormi also holds a annual Bread Festival. ===Religious=== [[Image:Lastsupperqormi.JPG|thumb|Statue of The Last Supper, used during the [[Good Friday]] procession in Qormi.]] Qormi has two [[patron saint]]s which are [[Saint George]] and [[Saint Sebastian]]. Qormi is divided into two parishes dedicated to these two saints. The original parish was that of Saint George. The parish of Saint Sebastian was created in 1936 after being made into a subsidiary parish in 1918<ref>http://www.maltachurch.org.mt/Parish/Qormi_SanBastjan.htm</ref>. The origins of this parish go back to a statue to the saint erected as an act of thanksgiving for deliverance during the plague of 1813 and a small church built in 1880<ref>http://www.maltachurch.org.mt/Parish/Qormi_SanBastjan.htm</ref>. For two weeks in summer, the town celebrates the feasts of its saints. The town is also known for its [[Good Friday]] procession from the church of Saint George which features a number of life-size statues and over 500 participants. ===Band clubs=== *Pinto Philharmonic Society, St. Sebastian Band (Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika Pinto, Banda San Sebastjan)&mdash;founded in 1862, apart from being the first band club in Qormi it is also one of the earliest Maltese band clubs, originally in the Saint George parish but later moved to the Saint Sebastian parish due to the parish limits. *St. George's Band Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali San Ġorġ Martri) *Anici Band & Social Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali u Soċjali Aniċi)&mdash;founded in [[1988]] in the Saint George parish <ref>[http://www.anicibandclub.org/Storja.htm Storja - Anici Band Club<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. ===Media=== *Qormi has its own community radio station "Bastjanizi FM", broadcasting on 95FM 24hrs a day. The website of [http://www.bastjanizifm.org Bastjanizi FM] features live streaming. This community radio was founded by the four active feast organisations of St. Sebastian&mdash;St. Sebastian Firework factory, Ghaqda Armar, Kummisjoni Zghazagh bastjanizi and St. Sebastian Band. *The only newspaper is a quarterly issue by the Local Council named "Id-Dielja" (''The [[Grapevine]]''), referring to the concentration of vineyards in the old times; *Qormi was the first Maltese locality to have an [[IRC]] channel, #Qormi.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} ==Sports== *Qormi is home to [[Qormi FC]], the football team of the town, playing in yellow and black. The team was promoted to the [[Maltese Premier League]] in [[2008]]. *Qormi is also home to the Qormi Basketball Club, which was established in 1995. *[[Qormi Hockey Club]] represents the town in the National Hockey Leagues both in the junior and senior categories. ==Schools== ====Kindergarten==== *Ġużé Galea Kindergarten, San Ġorġ *Ġużé Muscat Azzopardi Kindergarten, San Bastjan *St Joseph School (Private Independent School) - Żbandola Street, Qormi ====Primary==== *Ġużé Galea Primary School, San Ġorġ *Ġużé Muscat Azzopardi Primary (''A'',''B''), San Bastjan *St Joseph School (Private Independent School) - Żbandola Street, Qormi ====Secondary==== *[[Liceo Vassalli Junior Lyceum]], [[Tal-Ħandaq]] *Ġużé Galea Area Secondary, San Ġorġ *St. Michael's (Church) School, Limits of Qormi ==Notable people== * [[George Abela]] - Politician, Ex-Chairman of [[Qormi FC]] and Ex-Chairman of the [[Malta Football Association]] * [[Peppi Azzopardi]] - Talk Show Host, Journalist and Sociologist * [[Marie Louise Coleiro Preca]] - Politician and current Member of Parliament * [[John Dalli]] - Politician and current Minister for Social Policy * [[Clyde Puli]] - Politician, Previous Mayor and current Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport * [[Roderick Galdes]] - Politician, Previous Mayor and current Member of Parliament * [[Etienne Barbara]] - International footballer * [[Emmanuel Fabri|Leli Fabri]] - Retired International footballer and coach * [[Fabrizio Faniello]] - Pop Singer ==References== <references/> * W&R Chambers Limited and Cambridge University Press, ''Chambers World Gazetteer: an A-Z of Geographical Information'', 5th edition, 1988, page 528 * Barry Turner (ed.), ''The Statesman's Yearbook: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World 2005'', Palgrave Macmillan, page 1113 ==External links== * [http://www.qormi.gov.mt/ Qormi Local Council] * [http://www.justice.gov.mt/localcouncil.asp?councilid=6/ Maltese Government page on Qormi local council] * [http://www.kzwqriema.com/ St George's Band Club&mdash;Youth Commission] * [http://www.cittapinto.com cittapinto.com] * [http://www.anicibandclub.org Anici Band Club Official Website] * [http://www.searchmalta.com/ezine/dapap/scene1.shtml/ Site on Good Friday procession] * [http://www.qormihc.tk/ Qormi Hockey Club] * [http://www.kzbqormi.org The St. Sebastian Youth Commission] * [http://www.qormibc.com Qormi Basketball Club] {{malta-LocalCouncils}} {{Cities in Malta}} <span id="coordinates" class="plainlinksneverexpand"> [[Geographic coordinate system|Coordinates]]: {{coor dms|35|52|46|N|14|28|20|E|type:city}} </span> [[Category:Towns in Malta]] [[de:Qormi]] [[fr:Qormi]] [[it:Curmi]] [[nl:Qormi]] [[nn:Qormi]] [[pl:Qormi]] [[scn:Qormi]] [[vo:Qormi]]