Fleur-de-Lys, Malta

Fleur-de-Lys Fleur-de-Lis
Administrative Committee
Kumitat Amministrattiv Fleur-de-Lys
The Wignacourt Arch known as the Fleur-De-Lys Gate
Flag Coat of arms
Fleur-de-Lys is located on the border between Birkirkara (shaded red) and Santa Venera
Country	Malta
Island	Malta
Suburb of	Birkirkara
Government
• Chairperson	Ronald Briffa (PN)
Population
• Total	2,000
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	BKR
Dialing code	356
Patron saint	Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Day of festa	5 July
Website	http://fleurdelys.org.mt/

Fleur-de-Lys is a suburb that forms part of Birkirkara, and it is also considered a suburb of Santa Venera and Qormi. It lies approximately 5 kilometers away from Malta's capital, Valletta. The population of Fleur-de-Lys is about 2000 people and the area is very small.

History

Wignacourt Aqueduct

Wignacourt Aqueduct at Fleur-de-Lys

Fleur-de-Lys' origins date back to the early 17th century. In 1610, Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt financed the building of the Wignacourt Aqueduct to transport water from springs in Rabat and Dingli to the capital Valletta. The Aqueduct was finished in 1615, and an ornamental gateway known as the Wignacourt Arch (or Fleur-de-Lys Gate) was built where it crossed the road. This had three sculpted fleurs-de-lis on top, as they were the heraldic symbols of de Wignacourt. The suburb was later named after these heraldic symbols on the arch.

During the Second World War, the archway was severely damaged when it was hit by an RAF lorry in 1943 and a truck in 1944. The ruined archway was demolished and the stones were stored and numbered at the PWD. A roundabout was later built in its place. The construction of a replica of the arch was approved in 2012.^[1] The local councils of Santa Venera and Birkirkara, as well as the Fleur-de-Lys Administrative Committee disagreed on what the arch's name should be, and eventually agreed in 2014 that it should be called "The Wignacourt Arch Known As The Fleur-de-Lys Gate".^[2] The arch was rebuilt between 2014 and 2015, and it is now almost complete.^[3]

Development of the suburb

Fleur-de-Lys Playing Field

After the building of the Aqueduct, a number of farmers settled in the area. For many years the only buildings were a few farmhouses surrounded by a lot of fields. In 1928, Farsons Brewery was opened in Mrieħel, an area close to Fleur-de-Lys.

Fleur-de-Lys only began to develop in the Second World War. Many refugees from the Grand Harbour area fled to rural areas including Fleur-de-Lys after the Harbour area was devastated by bombs. By 1941 the British had built Fleur de Lys Battery in the area armed with anti-aircraft artillery. Various government offices were transferred to Fleur-de-Lys in the 1940s as well. After the war the area grew into a small suburb.

In 1946, the church dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel was inaugurated. It became autonomous from Santa Venera in 1949 and became a parish in 1975. Other chapels were later built in Fleur-de-Lys, including those in the Sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent and the one in the private school of St Monica.^[4]

Nowadays the suburb contains many small shops, a small parish church and a BOV bank. The main road, Fleur-de-Lys Road, is now a major artery to Malta's local traffic system.^[5]

The Fleur-de-Lys Administrative Committee was created in December 1999 by an amendment to the Local Councils Act of 1993.

References

1. "Green light for Fleur-de-Lys arch rebuilding". Times of Malta. 23 October 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015.
2. Dalli, Kim (20 August 2014). "Arch-rivals finally reach agreement over the name". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 2 December 2015.
3. "Wignacourt Arch, known as Fleur-de-Lys Gate, rebuilt". TVM. 25 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015.
4. "Fleur-De-Lys". malta-canada.com. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
5. "Fleur-de-Lys". Fleur-de-Lys Administrative Committee. 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.

Coordinates: 35°54′N 14°28′E / 35.900°N 14.467°E