"Qrendi (Maltese: Il-Qrendi) is a village in the Western Region of Malta, with a population of 3,148 people as of October 2021.It is located close to Mqabba, Zurrieq and Siggiewi. Within its boundaries are the two Neolithic temples of Mnajdra and Hagar Qim.
Two annual feasts are held in Qrendi: the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated either on the last Sunday of June or the first Sunday of July, and the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lady on 15 August.
Although the majority of the village's old core buildings remain today, Qrendi has changed considerably in recent times. A bypass road has been built to divert through-traffic away from the village, modern suburb developments have been built and an open space with a bus terminus created in front of the Parish Church by removing the walled grounds from an old villa.
History
Fossilized remains of animals dating back to the Quaternary Period have been found in the environs of Qrendi. The remains were found in caves and coastal deposits within the Maghlaq Fault or Wied tal-Maghlaq. The caves came to light in 1858, when the area began to be quarried for its hard coralline rock which was used to build the docks in the Grand Harbour.
Studies were then taken up by Commander Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt in 1861, who excavated a site known as Halq is-Sigar at Maghlaq and confirmed the presence of a variety of fossilised animal remains, including an abundance of hippopotami bones, evidence of dwarf elephants, giant dormice, weasels, owls, bats and birds, besides many other snail fossils. The discovery further yielded complete skeletons of elephants and a large number of bones pertaining to sea birds.
In around 3600 BC, the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, which are among the oldest freestanding structures in the world, were built in what is now the outskirts of Qrendi. Other ancient sites such as tombs and dolmens have also been found in the limits of Qrendi.
The first known documentation of Qrendi is in the militia list of 1417, when it was a small village of 26 households. During Hospitaller rule, various towers were built in or around Qrendi, while some knights built summer residences in the area. Qrendi became an independent parish in 1618.
In the 19th century, while Malta was a British protectorate, Qrendi was ruled by a magistrate who was known as Luogotenente, and a garden was built in Qrendi for his personal use.
During World War II, a small airstrip known as RAF Krendi was built roughly halfway between the village and Siggiewi. The airstrip consisted of two tarmac runways, and it saw use during the Allied Invasion of Sicily in 1943. The airstrip closed with the end of the war, and the runways have been converted into roads.[2] A number of Qrendin civilians were killed during the war, and a memorial in their honour was inaugurated in 1995.
The Qrendi Local Council was established by the Local Councils Act of 1993.
Coastline
To the north of the Wied iz-Zurrieq fishing hamlet one can find other sea caves and grottoes as found on its southern sea leading to the blue grotto. The Nuffied al-Kabir and Nuffied iz-Zghir coves, the capes of Tal-Gawwija, Rsejjen, Halq it-Tafal, Ras Nignuna, Maqluba l-Bahar, Ghar Mantel, and Ras il-Hamrija are among the Qrendi landmarks that attract visitors.
Main sights
Megalithic and other ancient sites
Hagar Qim
Façade of the main temple at Hagar Qim
People were aware of the existence of the Neolithic temples of Hagar Qim since many centuries back, at least from the seventeenth century. The temples date to the around 3000 B.C. though they were not built in one instance and thus their different structures span hundreds of years between them. The temples are unusual in that they are sited on the crest of a ridge when most other temples were constructed on the slope below a hilltop.
The presence of these large boulders placed in orderly fashion despite their size and weight ignited the fantasy of some and led them to interpret the site as the work of giants, following what others also believed that the island was inhabited by a race of giants who came here after the great Flood described in Genesis 2, believing that these were the descendants of Noah and who in Malta built structures such as Hagar Qim temples.
The mystery of these big stones jutting out of the ground began to be unravelled in the nineteenth century when excavations started in 1839.by J.G. Vance of the Royal Engineers who was requested by Governor Sir Henry Bouverie to supervise the first dig. He also put forward his opinion on these ruins saying that: "I can compare it with no other remains that I have ever seen or read of: I consider it to be quite unique and dissimilar to any discovery hitherto treated of." At the time practically nothing was known about those ruins and all Vance could do was conjecture about their origins and similarities to other temples and cultures.
Professor of Prehistoric European Archaeology and Director of the Institute of Archaeology in the University of London in the mid-twentieth century, visited the site and observed: "I have been visiting the prehistoric ruins all round the Mediterranean, from Mesopotamia to Egypt, Greece and Switzerland, but I have nowhere seen a place as old as this one."
The Hagar Qim site is composed of a number of structures consisting of a central building, two smaller ones on the sides and the remaining parts of a third building. The main temple was presumably built in successive stages during the fourth millennium B.C. It thus developed into an irregular and complex ground plan. Its monumental façade has become a famous and iconic feature and faces the south-east. Of particular note are the large megaliths that shape the outer wall and which are pieced by an entrance in the middle formed of a trilithon structure, which, in turn, leads to a number of chambers.
The temple complex has many other interesting features which make the adjacent museum and inside environment enticing to discover, that include stone altars, the mystic oracle hole, two stumps of legs possibly of 'Mother Goddess' figures, as well as the discovery of a small clay figurine depicting a woman after having given birth termed as, "The Venus of Malta", and a small floral engraved stone altar.
Mnajdra
Niche at the Mnajdra south temple
On leaving the Hagar Qim complex, going in a western direction, one can walk down a modern-day paved path and 500 meters away comes face to face with the Mnajdra complex of temples. This site differs in some ways from the other temple just visited.
Mnajdra is largely constructed from coralline limestone quarried from the area giving the temples a much more rugged, and rather bluish appearance, a result of this hard stone – much different from the yellowish and much softer globigerina limestone predominant in the zone where Hagar Qim stands and of which it was built.
The Mnajdra structures are sited towards the edge of the promontory facing Filfa – the islet which pops out of the water a short distance away and separated from the mainland by the blue sea so predominant in this area, and is "probably the most atmospheric all the temples"; as it is tucked into a hollow of the cliffs and surrounded by the natural and marine environment.
The temple complex is composed of three separate buildings, each of which can be entered from a common forecourt, and is an experience going round the temples and its various interior apses that form the different structures. Visitors are stricken with the neatness and regularity of the first course of orthostatic slabs which go round the apses of the middle temple, added to the precision one cannot but notice also the lower than usual size of this first course which barely reaches one meter in height.
A unique feature is a small Bas relief engraving of the roofed façade of a temple which is featured on the largest upright slab to the left of the inner passage of this same temple, amongst other features such as a decorated niche, the 'oracle' holes in the lower temple, and a number of pillar altars in the two bigger temples.
A particular aspect which is connected with these temples is their relationship with astronomy. It is strongly believed that the Neolithic temples were also oriented to follow the movements of the sun. The Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice as well as the two equinoxes enter into and hit the two major Mnajdra temples indicating that the temple builders aligned the structures according to the ray of light from the sun reflected on these particular days of the year.
The Misqa Tanks
The human activity in the area is complemented by a series of holes grouped together in a zone about 250 meters north of Mnajdra temples. The explanation for the presence of these cavities is not a straightforward conclusion, but seems plausible that they were dug there for the collection and maintaining of a secure reservoir of fresh water. Yet to date them is not easy as no datable deposits remain due to these tanks having been cleared many times along the years.
Misrah is-Sinjura dolmen
A further reminder of the early times when human beings roamed the area around Qrendi is a dolmen which is found in Misrah Sinjura or Misrah is-Sinjura from where it took its name. Dolmens are dated to the Bronze Age, that is, to around 2500-1500 B.C. or the Tarxien Cemetery phase.
Churches and chapels
Within the Qrendi countryside one can find the Maqluba doline, an enormous sinkhole that occurred during a storm in 1343. According to legend a small chapel existed at the time, which must make it one of the oldest surviving Christian buildings in Malta.
There are seven other churches and chapels in the parish, most of them constructed on the site of earlier structures. The first parish was set up in 1436, when the village was within Zurrieq's parish. Qrendi became a separate parish in 1618.
Parish church
While Qrendi formed part of the parish of Zurrieq, in 1575 its main church was dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lady. Sometime later, in the year 1594, it was however rebuilt by the people of the village and was rededicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy
The old chapel which stood on the same site of the present chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy goes back to medieval times. Situated in the old casale of Leu (Leo or Hal Lew), the first chapel is thought to have originated in the thirteenth century. It also served as vice-parish when the Qrendi area still formed part of the parish of Zurrieq. Though Mgr Pietro Dusina profaned this chapel when he visited Hal Lew in 1575, it seems that the building was rehabilitated as indicated from the pastoral visit of Bishop Cagliares of 1621.
Chapel of St. Matthew
This chapel is linked to the landscape and the legend that is tied to it – that is il-Maqluba. Strictly speaking there are two chapels dedicated to this same saint. One is very old and may be one of the first chapels erected after the Muslim domination of Malta. This chapel can be better described as a crypt, has a window that gives onto the land depression of il-Maqluba.
Chapel of St. Catherine tat-Torba
This chapel is commonly known as 'Tat-Torba', is sited on the outskirts of the village and was commonly known as 'Ta' bieb taz-Zejtunija' – due to the connection of St. Catherine with Zejtun.
Chapel of St. Anne
A votive chapel built in thanksgiving for safe deliverance from the Turkish siege of Malta of 1565.
Chapel of Our Lady of Grace
This chapel was first dedicated to Our Lady of Victory, and was built by Angelo Spiteri from Qrendi in 1658.
Towers
The village of Qrendi was prone to attacks from the sea, and raids by the Ottomans or Barbary corsairs were common up to the early 17th century. Due to this, several towers were built in or around Qrendi:Cavalier Tower, Torre Sciuta, Torre de Hamrija.
Other notable buildings and structures: Guttenberg Palace. Guarena Palace. Santa Katerina Windmill.Gnien tal-Kmand. Qrendi cemetery.
Economy:Until the 20th century, most of the people in Qrendi worked as farmers or fishermen, or in the limestone quarries around the village.
Limestone quarries are still an important part of Qrendi's economy, since limestone is one of Malta's few natural resources.
Education: Since the introduction of the Colleges system, the Qrendi Primary School has formed part of St. Benedict's College. The college also includes the primary schools of Birzebbuga, Ghaxaq, Gudja, Kirkop, Mqabba, Safi and Zurrieq.
Feasts
Qrendi celebrates two traditional festas. The feast of the Assumption of Mary is celebrated on 15 August, while the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on the first week in July. Both feasts are popular due to the religious manifestations, band marches, and firework displays.
Firework factories: Three fireworks factories could be found in Qrendi. Two of these factories are properties of the local band clubs, Lourdes Fireworks Factory and St. Mary's Fireworks Factory. Both factories produce their annual displays in July and August respectively during the feasts of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Assumption of St. Mary. These displays are well known by Maltese and foreign fireworks enthusiasts and are done on a voluntary basis. The third factory, the Ellul Fireworks Factory, is a commercial fireworks factory.
Both Lourdes Fireworks Factory and St. Mary's Fireworks Factory have participated and won local fireworks festivals. In 2011, Lourdes Fireworks Factory were the winners of the Malta Fireworks Festival. In 2015, Lourdes Fireworks Factory were declared winners of both the Malta Fireworks Festival and the Malta International Fireworks Festival. Also in 2015, St. Mary's Fireworks Factory won the Mechanised Ground Fireworks Festival".
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