Qormi

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Qormi (pronounced Qor'mee) or Citta Pinto is a city in Malta with a population of 18,553 (2002). The town is located southwest of Valetta in the centre of Malta (35 52 N 14 30 E). The town enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry, sunny summers and short, cool winters.

The neighbouring towns of Qormi are Marsa, Luqa and Żebbuġ. Qormi sits just off a main road between Mdina and Valletta.

The patron saints of Qormi are St. George and St. Sebastian. For two weeks in summer, the town celebrates its two patron saints. The town is also known for its Good Friday procession with over 500 people participating each year.

The area was settled as early as the Bronze Age. A number of tombs discovered in the past century indicates that the Phoenicians traded with the population. In the fifteenth century, Qormi was established as one of the first parishes in Malta and had the largest parish church in Malta at that stage.

The population of Qormi grew in the 18th century and Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca, Grand Master of the Knights of St. John declared it to be a city on the 25th of May 1743. Like much of the central part of Malta, Qormi is now densely populated.

It was known as Casal Fornaro, which means Baker's Village, back in the old days, due to the number of bakers that existed. The town provided bread to most of Malta. The name it has for production of bread has stayed as established bakeries do their utmost to keep up with the name.

Qormi Today

Statue of The Last Supper, used during the Good Friday procession in Qormi,Malta

Qormi is run by a local council established in 1993 under the Local Councils Act.

Qormi also houses a community (parish) radio station Bastjanizi FM. It is also home of the Qormi Basketball Club, being one of the established teams in Maltese Basketball, Qormi Hockey Club, and a football club Qormi FC. It also has the first Maltese locality channel on mIRC, #Qormi. Houses number of bakeries.

References

• W&R Chambers Limited and Cambridge University Press, Chambers World Gazeteer: 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

Further References

• [Site on Good Friday procession]
• [Maltese Government page on Qormi local council]
• [Youth Commission on behalf of St. George's Band Club of Qormi AD. 1893]

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