Kirkop

Kirkop
Ħal Kirkop
Local council
Parish Church of St Leonard
Parish Church of St Leonard
Flag of Kirkop
Flag
Coat of arms of Kirkop
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Parva non iners
Coordinates: 35°50′31″N 14°29′6″E / 35.84194°N 14.48500°E / 35.84194; 14.48500
Country Malta
RegionWestern Region
DistrictSouth Eastern District
BordersLuqa, Mqabba, Safi, Żurrieq
Government
 • MayorMatthew Agius Zammit (PL)
Area
 • Total
1.1 km2 (0.42 sq mi)
Population
 (Jul. 2024)
 • Total
2,659
 • Density2,400/km2 (6,300/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Koppi (m), Koppija (f), Koppin (pl)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
KKP
Dialing code356
ISO 3166 codeMT-23
Patron saintSaint Leonard
Day of festa3rd Sunday of September

Kirkop (Maltese: Ħal Kirkop) is a village in the Southern Region of Malta. Located near the Malta International Airport, it has been inhabited since pre-history. The parish church is dedicated to Saint Leonard. The football team of the village is Kirkop United.

Etymology and population

The Annunciation Church

The original name of the village was Casal Prokopju, and is retrieved from the registers of the Maltese militia that existed prior to the rule of the Order of St John. Through generations, the local population corrupted the original name, which was changed to Kirkop. The name of the village comes from the surname of a wealthy family.

The population of Kirkop was 2,659 in July 2024. This included 1,383 males and 1,276 females; 2,414 Maltese nationals and 245 foreign nationals.

History

Punic remains of catacombs are found around the village of Ħal Kirkop with some of them remain unexplored, and their exploration has been shelved. In 1969, anthropologist Jeremy Boissevain published a research on the social fabric of the village in his book Hal Farrug: a village in Malta. Boissevain claims that the people of Ħal Kirkop have lived in the area for centuries because of his assumed comparable bloodline with ancient Phoenician. The Phoenicians occupied the Maltese islands around 700 B.C.[citation needed]

A bird's-eye view of Kirkop in the 1960s
A bird's-eye view of Kirkop in the 1960s

Ħal Kirkop was part of a larger community, as part of the parish of Bir Miftuħ, in the Middle Ages until the Early Modern period. However, on 29 May 1592, it was declared a parish on its own right.[citation needed]

The village had a population of 2,260 people in March 2011. By March 2014 this had decreased slightly to 2,191 people. In 2021, the population was recorded at 2,527.

Places, buildings and structures

In Ħal Kirkop, one finds the Menhir monolith, which has become the symbol of the village, and a number of Paleo-Christian Catacombs.[citation needed]

Other buildings and structures are listed monuments which include; the Church of the Annunciation, the Parish Church of St. Leonard, the Chapel St. Nicholas at the cemetery, a cross column (Is-Salib tad-Dejma), and a number of niches scattered around the village. There are two WWII shelters below street level.

Kirkop main roads

Band clubs

Zones in Ħal Kirkop

Twin village

References

  1. 1 2 "Mid-year population estimates by locality, sex and citizenship: 2012-2024". National Statistics Office.
  2. ↑ "Population statistics" (PDF). Malta Government Gazette. mjha.gov.mt. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014". Government of Malta. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Census of population and housing 2021 - Final Report - Population, migration & other social characteristics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Sagona, Claudia (2015). The Archaeology of Malta. Cambridge University Press. p. 311. ISBN 9781107006690.
  6. ↑ "Superintendence of Cultural Property". National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Farrugia, C.J. (2004). "Intietef mill-ħajja tal-Koppin marbuta ta' żminijiet ta' gwerra" (PDF). Festa San Ġuzepp, Kirkop: 72–73.
  8. ↑ "Site Officiel de la Mairie de Rousset sur Arc". Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2007.