Birgu, Vittoriosa Malta - The Best Mobile Map and Guide Tool if you visit Malta!

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A general photo of Vittoriosa Birgu
Birgu

Birgu is also known as Cittá Vittoriosa. It is an old Fortified city. Because Birgu is located on the Grand Harbour, this area has been developing since the time of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, the Angevines and the Aragonese.

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At the arrival of the Order of St. John, Birgu was described as a defenceless town with old houses in poor condition. Nevertheless, the Order made Birgu their place of residence, making the town the capital of Malta until the Order moved to Valletta in 1571.
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Additional information

St Lawrence’s Church

In 1436 an inventory was drawn up by the beneficiaries, in which the church was named "San Lorenzo a Mare" and thus one of the oldest parishes in Malta.

When the Order of St. John came to live in Malta in 1530, people chose Birgu which became the new capital of Malta. The church was used as a monastery church for the Order, until the Order moved to the new capital Valletta in 1571.

During the great siege of Malta in 1565, the front of the church was used as a cemetery.
In 1681 the first stone of the current church was laid by Bishop Molina. The parish church was completed in 1696. The church was designed by architect Lorenzo Gafa and is a wonderful example of Roman Baroque architecture.

The feast of St. Lawrence is on August 10, and that day the church was consecrated by Bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri in 1697. In 1820, Pope Pius VII gave the status of the collegiate church to the St. Lawrence church.

During a German bombing in World War II, the sacristy and the hall were destroyed on January 16, 1941.

On March 22, 1841 the Holy Sacrament and the chapel were destroyed.

The damage from the first bombing was repaired in 1949 and from the second damage in 1951 and 1952.

In 1990, Pope John Paul visited the Maltese Islands and also visited the church.

The church has various works of art, including a painting depicting Christ the Redeemer and the dead Christ painted by Stefano Erardi and a painting depicting the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, painted by Mattia Preti.
This Birgu page is part of “The Malta Magazine”.

This magazine is for every resident and visitor to the country of Malta. But is also educational and for anyone interested in Malta.  The Malta Magazine highlights the past and present of specific subjects and/or places of interest with the help of extensive information and photos.

As a tool during your journey of discovery through Malta, you can use our information services free of charge. You can do this in two ways, via our website https://maltaguide.pro or our app depending on your operating system, Google Play or Apple Store. Both give you the same information.

“The Malta magazine” is the best, ultimate and most comprehensive magazine you can get of Malta.

The magazine is growing fast and will soon contain more than 350 interesting topics.

Find and discover interesting sights and discover the many historical secrets of the country Malta. Find all things to do and places of interest in your exploration.

“The Malta magazine” is also convenient whether you are walking, driving a car, or using the hop-on and hop-off bus trip, boat trip, etc.

“The Malta magazine” provides you with general information about the sights, Malta’s beauty, secrets, history and culture, its architecture, fortifications, etcetera and specific information as: what took place here?; When was it built and by whom?; What are the functions of all these.

“The Malta magazine” describes also religious subjects, museums, parks, places of interest, public toilets and much more useful information. Interesting texts set up by local experts and additional informative photos make this app distinctive.

“The Malta magazine” answers many questions and shows in an easy way to navigate way where the sights are located. A great landmap and citymap made specifically for you, is a great tool. You can immediately see where you are and where the sights are.

In this "Malta Magazine" you will find the location, address, opening hours and admission / entrance fee, general additional information and news about the spot.

Everything in “The Malta magazine” is easy to operate, without any knowledge and suitable for young and old.

“The Malta magazine” is free while you normally would pay for a guided tour, you may enjoy navigating through Malta on your own terms.

“The Malta magazine”  is constantly maintained about: attractions which are closed due to renovation, changed entrance fees or opening times, etc. This maintenance costs a lot of money. However, it has been decided not to include annoying advertisements. The “The Malta magazine” has no hidden costs.

The skillfielly texts are written by local experts and additional informative photos make  “The Malta magazine” information provision distinctive.
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