Pietà, Malta


Pietà is a small town in the Central Region of Malta, located near the outskirts of the capital city Valletta. Pietà is the suburb next-closest to the capital after Floriana. Its name is derived from Italian and signifies "Mercy."

Description

Malta's former national hospital, St. Luke's, is located in Tal-Pietà. 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.
A couple of streets nearby bear the names of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica. Tal-Pietà was a departure point for the Gozo ferry before the construction of a yacht marina. The patrol boat depot of the Armed Forces of Malta is located at the Hay Wharf in nearby Floriana. Also within the boundaries of Pietà are St. Ursula's Orphanage; PBS, the national broadcaster; Villa Guardamangia, which served as the residence of then Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain, when she lived in Malta between 1949 and 1951; the Ta' Braxia Cemetery Complex is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission site and where many World War I garrison veterans from the British army and navy are buried; and the headquarters of the Nationalist Party. The party built its base here in 1969. Tal-Pietà is regarded as a suburb of Ħamrun, Msida, Floriana and Valletta. Most of its resident population over the past 30 years hails from this area.
The population of Pietà was 3,853 in November 2005, which had been an increase over previous years due to a new housing estate and the redevelopment of old homes over the past thirty years. In March 2014 the population stood at 4,020.
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.

Education

The current Pietà local council members are:

Zones in Tal-Pietà