Senglea

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Senglea (Isla) is a city in the east of Malta. It is one of the three cities with the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa. The city of Senglea is also called 'Citta Invicta' due to its not being won during the Siege of 1565. Isla is the Maltese term for Senglea and is derived from Isola because it was once an island.

A view of Senglea from the Grand Harbour

Isola is in fact Italian for island. The island was in fact joined by a landbridge to Cospicua during the time of the Knights of St. John and as a result, it became peninsular in shape. During the time of the Knights of St. John, Senglea was also used as a hunting area, and was in fact known as L'Isola di San Giuliano, but later it was developed and made inhabitable by the Grand Master, La Senglé who built fortifications following a Turkish invasion in 1551. The locality eventually became known as Senglea but retained its old name Isla and its citizens are known as Sengleani. Senglea is particularly famous for the miraculous statue of Jesus Christ The Redeemer, located in the oratory of the basilica which is dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary.It is said that there never was even on one occasion,any person who asked anything with sincerity to Christ The Redeemer and never got an answer,which people often refer to miracles. Senglea also has a statue dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus which is often referred to as "Il Madonna Tan-Nofs", literally meaning "Our Lady Of The Centre" , owing to the city centre being the locality where it was originally erected during the time of the plague in gratitude for Senglea being the only town which was not contaminated. It is said that owing to jealousy from a neighbouring locality, a contaminated waistcoat of a plague victim was baked into a loaf of bread and brought to Senglea (or L'Isla). The devotion of the 'Sengleani 'to God ,Jesus and Mary Mother of Jesus was rewarded in the form of protection,as amongst a group of people praying,a person was spiritually guided into having a revelation of the enemy's plan. It is said that a man in possession of a loaf of bread was stopped outside the entrance gates of Senglea (known as 'Il-Mini Tal L'Isla' on the originally connecting bridge)and refused entrance due to the fact that an infected waistcoat was indeed found in the loaf of bread. With an area of just over half a square mile, it is Malta's smallest locality. It is also its most densely populated. It currently hosts around 3,500 people. At the turn of the century, Senglea had more than 8200 people, making it the most densely populated town in Europe. At the time, Senglea, as well as Cospicua was the centre of Malta's elite and intelligensia. The Second World War changed rapidly its social structure as many left to take refuge in outlying towns and countryside, never to return. In recent years, rehabilitation of the Cottonera Waterfront as a yachting centre has spurred a lot of interest from Norwegian, German and Austrian expatriates and businessmen. This resulted in the renovation of various quaint and charming houses and a considerable appreciation of real estate in this city.

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