Ħal Kirkop
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Kirkop Ħal Kirkop |
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| Local council | |||
The local parish church, dedicated to Saint Leonard
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| Motto: Parva non iners | |||
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| Coordinates: 35°50′31″N 14°29′6″E / 35.84194°N 14.48500°ECoordinates: 35°50′31″N 14°29′6″E / 35.84194°N 14.48500°E | |||
| Country |
 Malta
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| Region | Southern Region | ||
| District | South Eastern District | ||
| Borders | Luqa, Mqabba, Safi, Żurrieq | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Terence Agius (PL) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1.1 km2 (0.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (March 2014) | |||
| • Total | 2,191 | ||
| • Density | 2,000/km2 (5,200/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Koppi (m), Koppija (f), Koppin (pl) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | KKP | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| ISO 3166 code | MT-23 | ||
| Patron saint |
Saint Leonard Saint Joseph |
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| Day of festa | 3rd Sunday of August 2nd Sunday of July |
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Kirkop (Maltese: Ħal Kirkop) is a small village in the Southern Region of Malta. It is found near the Malta International Airport and has a rich history, dating back to Punic times. The parish church is dedicated to Saint Leonard. Apart from the feast of St. Leonard, a secondary feast of Saint Joseph is celebrated in summer. The village football team, Kirkop United F.C., currently plays in Division 2 of the Malta Football Association competitions.
The name of the village is derived from an ancient family name that had roots within the area. The village name was known as 'Casal Prokopju' and this name is found in old registers of the militia that existed prior to the coming of the Knights of Malta. It is traditionally known that the name described the place where this family lived. After a while the official name became 'Kirkop' by the local people. Kirkop has been a village before the 11th century and a parish before the 17th century. Punic remains of catacombs are dotted all around the village, and most of them remain undiscovered, but plans state that they will be explored in the future.
In 1969 the anthropologist Jeremy Boissevain published his research on the social fabric of this village in his book Hal Farrug: a village in Malta. The book was republished in 1980 and re-issued under a new title, Ħal Kirkop: A village in Malta, in 2006. In his book, Boissevain identified Ħal Kirkop people whose families had lived in the area for centuries as having the most striking traces of the ancient Phoenician bloodline. The Phoenicians were ancient marauders who had occupied the Maltese islands around 700 B.C.. Kirkop was part of a larger community called 'Bir Miftuh' in Middle Ages when on 29 May 1592 it was declared a parish on its own right
The village had a population of 2,260 people in March 2011. By March 2014 this decreased slightly to 2,191 people. It is home of the STMicroelectronics plant, whose production accounts for 60% of the exports in Malta.
In Kirkop, one finds the Menhir monolith (which has become the symbol of the village), Paleo-Christian Catacombs, the medieval Church of the Annunciation, the Parish Church dedicated to St. Leonard, two band clubs (St. Leonard Band Club and St. Joseph Band Club), and the cemetery inside which there is a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas.
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Wikipedia