Pietà, Malta

Tal-Pietà Il-Kunsill Lokali Tal-Pietà Gwardamanġa
—  Local council  —
Tal-Pietà
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 35°53′35″N 14°29′37″E
Country	Malta
Island	Malta
District
Borders	Floriana, Ħamrun, Msida
Government
• Mayor	Malcolm Mifsud (PN)
Area
• Total	0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Population
• Total	3,846
• Density	7,700/km2 (20,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Pjetaniż (m), Pjetaniża (f), Pjetaniżi (pl)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	PTA
Dialing code	356
Patron saint	Our Lady of Fatima (Il-Madonna ta' Fatima)
Day of festa	in May / June
Website	Official website

The Tal-Pietà waterfront

Tal-Pietà is a small town located on the outskirts of Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Tal-Pietà is the suburb next-closest to the capital after Floriana. Its name is derived from Italian and signifies "mercy".

Description

The former Maltese national hospital, St. Luke's, is located in Tal-Pietà, as well as the University of Malta Medical School. Tal-Pietà is a coastal town, and an old boathouse of notable historic interest is located on the waterfront. Also of historic interest, and visible in several old prints, is the little chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, which dates from the seventeenth century, still in active use today.

The parish church, however, goes back only to 1968. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima and is run by the Dominican Order. The town also hosts St. Augustine's College, run by the Augustinian Order. A couple of streets nearby bear the names of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica. Tal-Pietà is a departure point for ferries to Gozo, and the patrol boat depot of the Armed Forces of Malta is located at the Haywharf. Within the boundaries of Tal-Pietà is the hamlet of Gwardamanġa.

Also within the boundaries of Tal-Pietà are St. Ursuline's Orphanage; PBS, the national broadcaster; Villa Gwardamanġa, which served as the residence of the 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 Landmark Site and where many World War I garrison veterans from the British army and navy are buried; and the headquarters of the Nationalist Party, currently the party in power. The party built its base here in 1969. Tal-Pietà is regarded as a suburb of Ħamrun, Msida, and Valletta. Most of its resident population over the past 30 years hails from this area.

The population of Tal-Pietà and its hamlet, Gwardamanġa, now close to 3,853 (as of November 2005), has increased over the past few years, thanks to a new housing estate and the redevelopment of old homes over the past thirty years.

A large number of Maltese citizens have Tal-Pietà as their place of birth, because many women give 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.

Tal-Pietà Local Council

The current Tal-Pietà local council members are:

• Dr. Malcolm Mifsud (Mayor, PN)
• Mrs. Annhelica Agius (Deputy Mayor, PN)
• Mr. Michael Seychell (PN)
• Mrs. Jessie Fabri (PL)
• Mr. Anthony Camilleri (PL)
• Mr. Simon Cauchi (Executive Secretary)

Zones in Tal-Pietà

• Gwardamanġa
• Sa Maison
• Ta' Braxia
• Xatt it-Tiben

Tal-Pietà Main Roads

• Misraħ San Luqa (St Luke's Square)
• Misraħ il-Madonna ta' Fatima (Our Lady of Fatima Square)
• Telghet Gwardamanġa (Gwardamanġa Hill)
• Triq ix-Xatt (Marina Street)
• Triq il-Mimosa (Mimosa Street)
• Triq San Luqa (St Luke's Road)
• Triq Santa Monika (St Monica Street)
• Triq San Guzepp (St. Joseph Street)
• Triq id-Duluri (Our Lady of Sorrows Street)
• Triq Zammit Clapp (Zammit Clapp Street)
• Triq Hookham Frere (Hookham Frere Street)
• Triq San Girgor (St Gregory Street)
• Triq is-Sorijiet tal-Ursolini (Ursoline Sisters Street)
• Sqaq Borton (Borton Lane)

External links

• Tal-Pietà Local Council
• Our Lady of Fatima Parish Feast Commission