View source for Żejtun

{{Short description|City in the South Eastern Region of Malta}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Żejtun
| native_name                     = Iż-Żejtun
| native_name_lang                = mt
| official_name                   = Iż-Żejtun
| other_name                      = Città Beland, Casale Santa Caterina;<br/>Bisqallin; Casal Bisbut
| settlement_type                 = [[Local councils of Malta|Local council]]
| image_skyline                   = Zejtun Malta town view.png
| image_caption                   = Aerial view of Żejtun with the parish church at the centre
| image_flag                      = Flag of Żejtun.svg
| image_shield                    = Zejtun_coa.svg
| etymology                       =
| nickname                        =
| motto                           = ''Palladis clara munera''
| image_map                       = Zejtun in Malta.svg
| map_caption                     =
| coordinates                     = {{coord|35|51|20|N|14|32|0|E|type:city_region:MT|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes           =
| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|Malta}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[Regions of Malta|Region]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[South Eastern Region]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[Districts of Malta|District]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Districts of Malta#South Eastern District|South Eastern District]]
| established_title               =
| established_date                =
| founder                         =
| parts_type                      = Borders
| parts_style                     = para
| p1                              = [[Fgura]], [[Għaxaq]], [[Marsaskala]], [[Marsaxlokk]], [[Santa Luċija]], [[Tarxien]], [[Żabbar]]
| leader_title                    = [[List of mayors of places in Malta|Mayor]]
| leader_name                     = Joan Agius
| leader_party                    = [[Labour Party (Malta)|PL]]
| unit_pref                       = Metric
| area_total_km2                  = 7.4
| area_note                       =
| area_footnotes                  =
| elevation_m                     = 60
| elevation_footnotes             =
| population_total                = 11386
| population_as_of                = Jan. 2019
| population_footnotes            =
| population_density_km2          = auto
| population_note                 =
| population_demonym              = Żejtuni ([[grammatical gender|m]]), Żejtunija ([[grammatical gender|f]]), Żwieten ([[plural|pl]])
| timezone1                       = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1                     = +1
| timezone1_DST                   = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST                 = +2
| postal_code_type                = [[Postal codes in Malta|Postal code]]
| postal_code                     = ZTN
| area_code_type                  = [[List of country calling codes|Dialing code]]
| area_code                       = 356
| iso_code                        = MT-67
| blank_name_sec1                 = [[Religion in Malta#Patron Saints|Patron saint]]
| blank_info_sec1                 = [[Catherine of Alexandria|St. Catherine of Alexandria]]
| blank1_name_sec1                = [[Public holidays in Malta#Traditional Feasts|Day of festa]]
| blank1_info_sec1                = Third week of June / 25 November
| website                         = {{Official website|http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/}}
| footnotes                       =
| pushpin_relief = yes
| module  ={{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=13|frame-height=260 | stroke-width=1 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}
'''Żejtun''' ({{langx|mt|Iż-Żejtun}} {{IPA-mt|ɪz.zɛjˈtuːn|}}) is a town in the [[South Eastern Region]] of [[Malta]], with a population of 11,218 at the end of 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_C5/Population_and_Migration_Statistics/Documents/2018/News2018_022.xls|title=Population Statistics (Revisions): 2012–2016|date=12 February 2018|publisher=[[Government of Malta]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126134858/https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_C5/Population_and_Migration_Statistics/Documents/2018/News2018_022.xls|archive-date=26 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Żejtun is traditionally known as '''Città Beland''', a title conferred by the [[Grand Master (order)|grandmaster]] of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of the Knights of Malta]], [[Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim]] in 1797.<ref name=cassar>{{cite journal|last1=Cassar Pullicino|first1=Joseph|title=The Order of St. John in Maltese folk-memory|journal=Scientia|date=October–December 1949|volume=15|issue=4|page=163|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2015(1949)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417173522/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2015(1949)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> Before that, the village was known as '''Casale Santa Caterina''',<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cassar|first=Carmel|year=1981|orig-year=1981|title=O Melita infelix – A poem on the Great Siege written in 1565|url=http://mhs.eu.pn/mh2/19816.html|journal=Melita Historica|volume=8|pages=149–155|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421174125/http://mhs.eu.pn/mh2/19816.html|archive-date=21 April 2014}}</ref> named after [[Catherine of Alexandria|its patron saint and parish titular]].
The old urban cores, called Bisqallin and Ħal Bisbut, largely retain their narrow medieval streets and ancient boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name Żejtun, or '''Casale Zeitoun''',<ref>{{Cite book|title=Missionary Register|publisher=Seeley, Jackson, & Halliday|author=Church Missionary Society|year=1819|volume=7|pages=365}}</ref> has referred to the settlement which developed around these two core villages. Together with a number of small hamlets in the vicinity, the bulk of the conurbation forms the city of Żejtun, administered by the [[Local councils of Malta|Żejtun Local Council]]. Over successive centuries, Żejtun lost to urbanisation a number of villages and hamlets that used to form part of its territory, which originally covered most of the south eastern part of Malta. The city experienced extensive [[Urbanization|urbanisation]] over the 1970s and 1980s, with the completion of numerous infrastructural and urban projects designed to relieve housing pressure in the neighbouring [[Three Cities]] area leading to a significant increase of the town's population.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://www.pa.org.mt/en/local-plan-details/file.aspx?f=1037|title=South Malta Local Plan|publisher=MEPA|year=2006|location=Malta|pages=181–185|access-date=20 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202113523/http://www.pa.org.mt/en/local-plan-details/file.aspx?f=1037|archive-date=2 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The town and its surrounding satellite villages are said to typify the basic Maltese conception of village life.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Malta: Blue-water Island|url=https://archive.org/details/maltabluewateris00hogg|url-access=registration|last=Hogg|first=Gary|publisher=A. S. Barnes|year=1968|pages=[https://archive.org/details/maltabluewateris00hogg/page/30 30]}}</ref>
Żejtun is a major centre on the islands, with a significant contribution to the islands' history, arts and commerce. One of the country's principal industrial estates, [[Bulebel Industrial Estate|Bulebel]], can be found on the city's borders.<ref name=mip>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.m-i-p.org/en/business/industrial-zones
|title       = Bulebel industrial zone
|publisher   = Malta Industrial Parks
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = dead
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130812055318/http://www.m-i-p.org/en/business/industrial-zones
|archive-date = 12 August 2013
}}</ref> Żejtun contains a number of important heritage sites, such as [[Church of St Catherine, Żejtun|St Catherine's Parish Church]], [[St. Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun|St Catherine's Old Church]] – known as St Gregory's, numerous votive chapels, and [[Żejtun Roman villa|the remains of a Roman villa]]. The parish of Żejtun is one of the oldest on the islands and already existed in 1436. The original parish church was built in the 12th century, and rebuilt in 1492.<ref name=diocese>{{cite web
|url         = http://maltadiocese.org/posts/detail/zejtun
|title       = Santa Katerina Verġni u Martri magħrufa bħala ta' San Girgor
|publisher   = Diocese of Malta
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = dead
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130809061510/http://maltadiocese.org/posts/detail/zejtun
|archive-date = 9 August 2013
}}</ref>  The current [[mayor]] is Doris Abela.<ref name=tvmmayor>{{cite web
|url         = https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/new-mayor-for-zejtun/
|title       = New Mayor for Żejtun
|date = 29 November 2017
|publisher   = tvm.com.mt
|accessdate  = 29 December 2017
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20171229172240/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/new-mayor-for-zejtun/
|archive-date = 29 December 2017
}}</ref> The [[archpriest]] is Fr Nicholas Pace.<ref name=diocese1>{{cite web
|url        = http://maltadiocese.org/lang/en/news/new-archipriest-for-zejtunarcipriet-gdid-ghall-parrocca-taz-zejtun/
|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130713113405/http://maltadiocese.org/lang/en/news/new-archipriest-for-zejtunarcipriet-gdid-ghall-parrocca-taz-zejtun/
|url-status   = dead
|archive-date = 13 July 2013
|title      = New Archpriest for Żejtun
|publisher  = Diocese of Malta
|accessdate = 25 August 2013
}}</ref>
==Toponymy==
The etymology of Żejtun has been studied over the ages. It takes its name from the [[Sicilian Arabic]] for [[olive]] – ''zaytun'' ({{langx|ar|الزيتون}}) – one of the ancient agronomic industries on Malta. This was confirmed by Ciantar, who stated that "...the town was very pleasant, due to the great quantity of olive groves, from whence it got and still retains the name Zeitun, which means olive; there is also the tradition that olive oil in abundant quantity used to be made here."{{refn|group=n|{{in lang|it}} "''Questa contrada (Żejtun) era molto amena per la gran quantità di oliveti che vi verdeggiano; onde trasse, ed ancora conserva, il nome di Zeitun, che significa olive; essendovi anche tradizione, che vi si facesse dell'olio in abbondanza.''"<ref name="CIA">{{Harvnb|Ciantar|1749|p=317}}</ref>}} While the Sicilian Arabic word {{transliteration|ar|zaytun}} refers to the fruit of the tree, the olive tree itself is called {{transliteration|ar|zabbūğ}} or {{transliteration|ar|zanbūğ}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Supplèment aux dictionnaires arabes|last=Dozy|first=Reinhard|publisher=Brill, Maisonneuve et Larose|year=1967|edition=3|volume=1|location=Paris|pages=578}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Siculo Arabic: Issue 12 of Library of Arabic Linguistics|last=Agius|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-1136161780|pages=260}}</ref>
[[File:Zejtun_farmlands.jpeg|thumb|left|Farmland in Żejtun.]]
The Arabic origin of the town's name was again recorded in the first Maltese language dictionary as "Żejtun, in the eastern part of the island of Malta, there is a large, rich and thriving town with this name, which incorporates another area called Bisqallin, and the village of Bisbut. In the [[Saracen]] era, there must have been olive groves here, for the area to retain its true name."{{refn|group=n|{{in lang|it}} "''Zejtun, con questo nome vi e’ all’oriente di Malta una terra grande, ricca e trafficante, che comprende ancora la terra detta Bisqallin, ed il villaggio Bisbut. Al tempo dei Saraceni vi dovevano essere degl’oliveti di cui conserva il vero nome.''"}}
In his commentary on Maltese history, [[Giovanni Francesco Abela|Gio. Francesco Abela]] claimed that the eastern half of Malta, from [[Mdina|the old city]] to the coast was often divided into two further halves.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Malta illustrata|last=Abela|first=Giovanni Francesco|publisher=Mallia|year=1772|pages=259}}</ref> To the east, all the land was called ''Zeitun'', while to the other side - that is, from [[Marsamxett Harbour|Marsamxett]] to all the old territory of the [[Birkirkara]] parish - the land was called ''[[Tetraclinis|Araar]].''  Abela claims to have seen this notation in plans drawn by [[Girolamo Cassar]], and that these two ''contrade'' were covered with the two respective trees.''<ref name=":2" />''
The name Żejtun was used to refer to the general south eastern region of Malta. In 1372, for example, [[Frederick the Simple|King Frederick of Sicily]] granted fiefs in ''contrata de lu Zeituni'', and again in 1373 ''in contrata de Lu Zayduni''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Documentary Sources of Maltese History, Pt. II: Documents in the State Archives, Palermo, No. 1: Cancelleria Regia 1259–1400|last=Fiorini|first=Stanley|publisher=University Press|year=1999|location=Malta|pages=42}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Fiorini|first=Stanley|date=2014|editor-last=Abela|editor-first=Ruben|title=The south east of Malta and its defence up to 1614|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/21158|journal=The Turkish Raid of 1614|location=Malta|publisher=Wirt iż-Żejtun|pages=82–93|via=University of Malta|access-date=17 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113020852/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/21158|archive-date=13 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The use of the name Żejtun for the urban core and town, as used today, does not go back further than the mid-17th century.<ref name=":6" /> In population censuses taken by the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order]], reference is always made to the parish or chapel of St. Catherine. The name Żejtun began to refer to the town, instead of a district or ''contrada'', by the 1650s.<ref name=":6" />
Over the centuries, the region of Żejtun included a number of smaller settlements and villages. Casale Santa Caterina, Ħal Bisbut, Ħal Ġwann, and Bisqallin were used interchangeably to refer to both specific areas, or to the whole settlement. The name Bisqallin, which is the name of the lower part of the city, is traditionally linked with the arrival of [[Sicilians|Sicilian]] settlers,<ref name="Kerdu">{{Harvnb|de Boisgelin de Kerdu|1805|p=58}}</ref> however this claim is contested by modern historians who link it with the diminutive form for ''Ħal Baskal'' or ''Baskal iż-Żgħir''.<ref name=":6" /> Over time, the name was also corrupted into the [[Italian language|Italian]] ''Casal Pasqualino''.<ref name="VAT">{{Harvnb|Fiorini|2001|p=499}}</ref>
Żejtun shares its name with a number of settlements and areas in [[Lamia (city)#Name|Greece]], [[North Africa]] and the [[Near East]]. Today, Bisqallin (Biskallin)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krRTAAAAcAAJ&q=torri+hal+tmin&pg=PA106|title=Della Descrittione Di Malta Isola Nel Mare Siciliano Con Le Sue Antichita, Ed Altre Notitie Libri Quattro|first=Giovanni-Francesco|last=Abela|date=23 December 2017|publisher=Paolo Bonacota|accessdate=23 December 2017|via=Google Books|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224144728/https://books.google.com.mt/books?id=krRTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=torri+hal+tmin&source=bl&ots=vRKZ8SPUFx&sig=dfUlJf3SdapALB_OCUp5U9Q4khg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjct478wsPMAhWOhRoKHY8WDEMQ6AEIIDAD#v=onepage&q=torri+hal+tmin&f=false|archive-date=24 December 2017}}</ref> is known as ''ir-raħal t'isfel'', the 'lower village', while Ħal Bisbut is referred to as ''ir-raħal ta' fuq'', the 'upper village.' The historic motto of the city of Żejtun is ''Palladis clara munera,''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Storja taż-Żejtun u Marsaxlokk|last=Vella|first=E.B.|publisher=Empire Press|year=1927|pages=88}}</ref> indicating the town's position on a hill gifted it with clear and commanding views over the south eastern part of Malta. The motto according to the Żejtun Local Council is ''Frott iż-Żebbuġ Ismi'', meaning that the city derives its name from the fruit of the olive tree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/history|title=Żejtun Local Council History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125162904/http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/history|archive-date=25 November 2018|url-status=live|access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref>
==Topography==
The core of Żejtun is located on a hill, rising {{convert|60|m|0|abbr=off}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]]. The [[promontory]] is marked to the north by Wied iz-Ziju, which separates Żejtun from [[Tarxien]] and the outlying high ground. Another valley, Wied iż-Żring,<ref name=":7" /> is partly obscured by the Bulebel industrial zone, and an old road which links Tarxien to Żejtun, as well as by the widened arterial road of Tal-Barrani.<ref name="OSS">{{Harvnb|Ordnance Survey Sheets 1912/14|pp=108–109}}</ref> The valley meanders until it reaches the harbour of [[Marsascala]]. To the south, the Żejtun promontory is bounded by a gentle slope which then forms the greater port area of [[Marsaxlokk]]. The higher ridge of Żejtun is marked by the [[St. Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun|late medieval chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, known as Saint Gregory's Church]], and the important crossroads of Bir id-Deheb.<ref name="OSS_2">{{Harvnb|Ordnance Survey Sheets 1912/14|pp=121–122}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://wirtizzejtun.com/roman-villa-book/|title=The Żejtun Roman Villa: Research, Conservation, Management|last=Abela|first=R.|publisher=Wirt iż-Żejtun|year=2012|location=Malta|pages=60–73|access-date=20 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220133845/https://wirtizzejtun.com/roman-villa-book/|archive-date=20 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Ħal Tmiem|Ħal Tmin]] district lies on the eastern outskirts of the village, and is known for the [[Chapel of St Mary of Ħal Tmin]].
Żejtun is surrounded on all sides by the rural areas of [[Għaxaq]], [[Marsaxlokk]], [[Żabbar]] and [[Marsaskala|Marsascala]], with a distinct gap existing between Żejtun and the other localities, except in Bir id-Deheb.<ref name=":7" />
==History==
===Prehistory and antiquity===
{{See also|Żejtun Roman villa}}
[[File:Zejtun Roman Villa (12682983103).jpg|thumbnail|The Roman villa complex in Żejtun.]]
Żejtun is strategically located between three important ancient harbours, that of [[Marsa (Malta)|Marsa]] to the north, and those of [[Marsaxlokk]] and [[Marsascala]] to the south. The area was occupied since prehistory. [[Late Neolithic]] remains were found near the [[Megalithic Temples of Malta|megaliths]] of [[Ħal Ġinwi temple|Ħal Ġinwi]], as well as the megalithic remains at [[Tas-Silġ]], found on a hillock between Żejtun and Marsaxlokk. Remains of the temple at Ħal Ġinwi were found in the vicinity of [[Chapel of St Nicholas, Żejtun|San Niklaw chapel]], between Żejtun and the Tas-Silġ temple.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Malta: Prehistory and Temples|last=Trump|first=David Hilary|publisher=Midsea Books Limited|year=2002|isbn=9990993939|location=Malta|pages=191}}</ref> The site is today represented by a few ashlar blocks still visible in a field wall. More remains may survive beneath the soil, since an excavation in 1917 was superficial.<ref name=":3" /> These sites remained in use during the [[Bronze Age]], as well as during later historical periods. Pottery shards possibly carrying the inscribed name of the [[Phoenician religion|Phoenician god]] [[Ashtart]] were also found.<ref name="BON">{{Harvnb|Bonanno|2005|p=83}}</ref> Other minor remains, now lost, include a [[menhir]] towards Marsascala and a [[stone circle]] at Bir id-Deheb.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The prehistoric antiquities of the Maltese Islands: a survey|last=Evans|first=J. D.|publisher=Athlone Press|year=1971|pages=232|via=Google Books}}</ref>
Along the southern edge of Żejtun, excavations led to the discovery of an ancient [[Roman villa]].<ref name=wirt>{{cite web
|url         = http://wirtizzejtun.com/the-zejtun-roman-villa-past-and-present-excavations-of-a-multi-period-site/
|title       = The Żejtun Roman Villa: past and present excavations of a multi-period site
|date = August 2012
|publisher   = Wirt iż-Żejtun
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031514/http://wirtizzejtun.com/the-zejtun-roman-villa-past-and-present-excavations-of-a-multi-period-site/
|archive-date = 4 March 2016
}}</ref> The remains still contain areas of the original Roman tiling and coloured stucco. The complex was an active settlement since the Bronze Age, although the presently visible remains can be dated from the [[Phoenicians|Punic period]] right up to [[Late Antiquity]]. More evidence of ancient habitation in the area comes from [[burial grounds]], such as those around St Gregory's Church, Tal-Barrani, Tal-Ħotba and Bulebel.<ref name="wirt"/> The excavation site at the villa confirms the presence of a thriving [[olive oil|olive oil industry]] at the southern end of the islands.<ref name="BRU_42">{{Harvnb|Bruno|2009|p=42}}</ref> Modern historical studies and topology confirm that the area between Żejtun and Marsaxlokk was covered in vegetation and pasture land.<ref name="BRU_120">{{Harvnb|Bruno|2009|p=120}}</ref>
===Medieval Żejtun===
With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, the Roman villa in Żejtun entered a period of long decay. The [[Christianity in Malta|Christian religion]] and [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine civilisation]], however, clung on at Tas-Silġ, with the construction of a three-aisled [[basilica]] built atop pagan temples. The basilica remained in use until the [[Siege of Melite (870)|Arab invasion]] of AD 870.<ref name=BUH>{{cite web
|url        = https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/42380/1/Binder1.pdf
|title      = The early Christian remains at Tas-Silġ and San Pawl Milqi, Malta, a reconsideration of the archaeological evidence
|publisher  = Melita Historica
|accessdate = 8 July 2019
}}</ref>
The historian [[Ibn Hawqal]] wrote about the invasion of AD 870, describing how the whole islands were depopulated. Modern scholars debate whether the invasion marked an outright "ethnic break and not merely a cultural and religious switch on the Maltese islands."<ref name=Wet>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121118/books/What-happened-in-Malta-after-AD-870-.446045
|title       = What happened in Malta after AD 870?
|date = 18 November 2012
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130202223858/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121118/books/What-happened-in-Malta-after-AD-870-.446045
|archive-date = 2 February 2013
}}</ref> Little is known about Żejtun under Arab rule. Outside [[Mdina]] and possibly [[Birgu]], hardly any village existed. However, a number of Late Medieval place-names in the general area of Żejtun, such as Bir id-Deheb, [[Ħajt il-Wied]], Tal-Ħotba and Bulebel il-Kbir serve to highlight the intensity with which the area was used.<ref name="WET385">{{Harvnb|Wettinger|2000|p=385}}</ref> One such name, il-Minżel, in Bulebel iż-Żgħir, can be translated as 'field at the descent' or the 'field at the house,' with the word ''manzil'' meaning a resting place, a place of alighting, settlement or abode.<ref name="WET385"/> A large number of place-names implies the accessibility of the land, and therefore its use. Hence, the area was extensively used, with the Arabs using the established [[agroindustrial]] infrastructure as the basis for their presence in Malta and Gozo.
[[File:Facade of Chapel of St Gregory, Zejtun.png|thumb|left|The [[St. Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun|old Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, commonly known as St Gregory's]].]]
With the [[Norman invasion of Malta|Norman occupation]] of 1091 and [[Norman conquest of southern Italy#Conquest of Sicily, 1061–1091|re-establishment of Latin rule]] in 1127, a slow re-Christianisation process began with monks from the monastery of [[Saint Basil]] arriving to Malta from [[Sicily]] and [[Pantelleria]]. These were devoted to various saints, particularly [[Saint George]] and [[Saint Catherine of Alexandria]].<ref name=Cath>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.zurrieqparish.org/node/421
|title       = The development and spreading of devotion towards St. Catherine in Europe and Malta
|publisher   = Parish of Żurrieq
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120511023737/http://zurrieqparish.org/node/421
|archive-date = 11 May 2012
}}</ref> The devotion towards the latter led to the dedication of a number of chapels to the saint. One of these was the Church of Saint Catherine of Bisqallin, now known as Saint Gregory's church. This church was renowned across the islands for its age, being one of the first built in Malta following the end of Saracen rule.<ref name="FER367">{{Harvnb|Ferris|1866|p=367}}</ref>
In 1223, Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], ordered the exile of the entire male population of [[Celano]] to [[Sicily]] and Malta. An established tradition held in both Żejtun and Celano claims that some of these exiles settled down in Żejtun.<ref name=LC1>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/#!twinning/c1t4b
|title       = Twinning
|publisher   = Żejtun Local Council
|accessdate  = 22 July 2014
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140811104852/http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/#!twinning/c1t4b
|archive-date = 11 August 2014
}}</ref><ref name=Times2>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050409/local/italian-townsfolk-look-for-lost-ancestors-in-zejtun.93973
|title       = Italian townsfolk look for lost ancestors... in Żejtun
|date = 9 April 2005
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150429014224/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050409/local/italian-townsfolk-look-for-lost-ancestors-in-zejtun.93973
|archive-date = 29 April 2015
}}</ref><ref name=Cel>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.comune.celano.aq.it/articoli/427/ezio-ciciotti-accoglie-joseph-attard-sindaco-di-zejtun-comune-di-malta.html
|title       = Ezio Ciciotti accoglie Joseph Attard, sindaco di Zejtun, Comune di Malta
|publisher   = Comune di Celano
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130905194213/http://www.comune.celano.aq.it/articoli/427/ezio-ciciotti-accoglie-joseph-attard-sindaco-di-zejtun-comune-di-malta.html
|archive-date = 5 September 2013
}}</ref>
The island's communal organisation in this period pitted the Mdina town-council, or ''Universitas'', against the independent entity centred around the [[Fort St Angelo|''Castrum Maris'']]. Many inhabitants of [[Birgu]], and the neighbouring villages argued that they were not liable to pay taxes to the Mdina town-council, as they fell within ''Castrum Maris'' jurisdiction. This was the case with the inhabitants of Żejtun, who refused to pay the taxes due to the Mdina council in 1473.<ref name="Dalli">{{Harvnb|Dalli|1993|pp=1–12}}</ref>  However, as late as 1494, in case of attack the inhabitants of Żejtun were expected to take refuge in Mdina.<ref name="Mdina">{{Harvnb|Mdina Cathedral Archives|1494|p=Ms. 34, f.110 v.(1494)}}</ref> The villages' lack of defences, and proximity with the sea, made all ''casali'' in the south-east of Malta exposed to raids and incursions.
[[File:Saint Catherine's Old Church, Zejtun, Northern transept.jpg|thumb|The [[Vault (architecture)|vault]] of the northern [[Transept|semitransept]] of Saint Catherine's Old Church, completed in 1593.]]
The [[St. Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun|chapel of St Catherine]] was already a parish church in 1436 as one of the eight mother churches on Malta.<ref name="FER367"/> This chapel stood halfway between Bisqallin and Ħal Bisbut, a distance of half a mile from each village. This medieval chapel remained in use until 1492, when it was rebuilt and enlarged to its present state.  This was commemorated by an inscription.{{refn|group=n|{{in lang|la}} ''Hoc opus fieri fecerunt Venerabilis Czullus dictu Baldu, et honorabiles Paulus Dalli, et Jacobus Bonnici Procuratores S. Catharinae de Zeitun – MCCCCLXXXXII – Ultimo Februarii X indictionis''<ref name="Abela364_5 ">{{harvnb|Abela|1647|pp=364–365}}</ref>}}
The present church was built on the footprint of the old chapel, with the current building's nave now corresponding with the old chapel walls. The chapel was enlarged in 1593 and again in 1603, with the additions of a transept and an altar. With the addition of the transept, this was the first church in Malta to be given the form of a [[latin cross]].<ref name=m360>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.maltain360.com/default.aspx#110023746
|title       = St. Catherine's Medieval Church (aka St. Gregory's Church) – Virtual Tour
|publisher   = maltain360.com
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130902233617/http://www.maltain360.com/default.aspx#110023746
|archive-date = 2 September 2013
}}</ref>
The ruins of a chapel dedicated to St. Leonard, dating back to the 1600s, may still exist in the limits of Żejtun.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180224/local/17th-century-church-remains-could-be-under-land-earmarked-for.671565|title=17th century church remains could be under land earmarked for development|last=Grech|first=Denise|date=24 February 2018|work=Times of Malta|access-date=23 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224023754/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180224/local/17th-century-church-remains-could-be-under-land-earmarked-for.671565|archive-date=24 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Feast of Saint Gregory====
[[File:St Gregory, Zejtun, Nave.png|thumb|The nave of the church of St Gregory, in Żejtun.]]
The feast of Saint Gregory was one of the principal traditional feasts on the islands, involving a procession composed of confraternities from all the parishes on the islands.<ref name="Badger">{{harvnb|Badger|1838|pp=[https://archive.org/details/descriptionmalt03badggoog/page/n130 100]–101}}</ref>  The origin of this feast was unknown for centuries, with the common belief that it related to a general vow by the populace on their deliverance from a great plague in 1519.<ref name=T2>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090415/local/hundreds-celebrate-san-girgor-at-marsaxlokk.252940
|title       = Hundreds celebrate San Girgor at Marsaxlokk
|date = 15 April 2009
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140508200317/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090415/local/hundreds-celebrate-san-girgor-at-marsaxlokk.252940
|archive-date = 8 May 2014
}}</ref>  Recent studies have concluded that the procession was first held in 1543 by Bishop Cubelles, in response to a papal call for prayers for peace.<ref name="T2"/> Originally the feast was held on 12 March, later moving to [[Easter Wednesday]].<ref name="diocese"/>
The procession included the respective clergy from all the islands' towns and villages, the canons of the [[St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina|Cathedral]] and the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta|bishop]], who assembled together – initially starting from Mdina, but later beginning at [[Raħal Ġdid]],<ref name="Badger"/> or [[Tarxien]],<ref name="diocese"/> thence walking to Żejtun. On their way, the whole company joined in the [[litany]], as pronounced by the chief priest of each confraternity.<ref name="Badger"/>  On their arrival at Żejtun, the procession visited the church of Saint Gregory. At a particular point of the ceremony, the crowd exclaimed aloud for three times the word ''Misericordia''. The remaining part of the day was then spent in eating and feasting, and other kinds of amusements.<ref name="Badger"/>
The modern procession begins at the Chapel of Saint Clement, which is just over a kilometre away from the church of Saint Gregory. On the way, it enters the current parish-church of Żejtun, then continuing to Saint Gregory's. On arrival, a mass is celebrated by the Cathedral Chapter's dean, with the archbishop presiding the ceremony. Traditionally, after the ceremony those in attendance go to the nearby harbour of Marsaxlokk for their first swim of the year. Traditional food stands and fairs are held throughout the day. Historically, it used to be customary for the bridegrooms to take their spouses to this feast as part of their marriage contract.
===Early modern===
{{See also|Raid on Żejtun}}
[[File:Parish Church of St. Catherine by night, Żejtun.jpg|thumb|The [[Church of St Catherine, Żejtun|parish church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria]], V.M., finished in 1778.]]
By 1575, the parish of Żejtun contained nineteen churches, seven in Żejtun, three in [[Ħal Għaxaq]], five at [[Żabbar]] and four rural chapels. On 6 July 1614, a considerable Turkish force of sixty galleys laid anchor at Marsascala and [[St Thomas' Bay, Malta|St Thomas' Bay]]. The Turks [[Raid on Żejtun|pillaged Żejtun]], damaging the church of St Gregory's, and the surrounding villages. The attack continued until the Turkish pirates were forced back to their ships by the Maltese cavalry and militia. A member of the Żejtun contingent, [[Clemente Tabone]], built [[St Clement's Chapel, Żejtun|a chapel dedicated to St Clement]], possibly in commemoration of the deliverance from the attack.<ref name="TAB">{{Harvnb|Vv.|1955|p=155}}</ref> This attack confirmed the need of the coastal towers of [[Saint Thomas Tower|St Thomas]] and [[Fort San Lucian|St Luciano]], in Marsascala and Marsaxlokk respectively.<ref name="GFC316_7">{{Harvnb|Ciantar|1772|pp=316–317}}</ref>  Increased population, and the extensive size of the parish led to an eventual reorganisation. On 23 December 1615, Bishop Baldassere Cagliares separated Żabbar from the parish of Żejtun, while Ħal Għaxaq was recognised as a parish on 1 January 1626.<ref name="FER368">{{Harvnb|Ferris|1866|p=368}}</ref> Cagliares also [[Villa Cagliares, Żejtun|built a country house]] on the edge of the valley between Żejtun and Żabbar.<ref name="places of interest">{{Cite web |url=https://localgovernment.gov.mt/en/lc/Zejtun/Pages/Locality/Places-of-Interest.aspx |title=Places of Interest |access-date=6 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114205903/https://localgovernment.gov.mt/en/lc/Zejtun/Pages/Locality/Places-of-Interest.aspx |archive-date=14 January 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Villa Cagliares 03.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Villa Cagliares]]'', a baroque country villa built by [[Baldassare Cagliares|Bishop Baldassare Cagliares]].]]
In 1637, Grandmaster [[Giovanni Paolo Lascaris]] set out to levy a tax of 50,000 scudi on the Maltese for the construction of the [[Floriana Lines]]. The Grandmaster ignored a protest against the tax by the Maltese clergy, lodged with [[Pope Urban VIII]]. The Pope sided with the Order against the laity and the clergy, and the Grandmaster ordered taxmen to start their collections.<ref name="HOP109">{{Harvnb|Hoppen|1980|p=109}}</ref> The tax collectors met immediately with opposition and an uprising began in September in Żejtun, the first village where collection was attempted.<ref name="HOP110">{{Harvnb|Hoppen|1980|p=110}}</ref> The leaders hoped to assemble the people at Marsa, then to march on Valletta as a procession with a cross or some statue of a saint. The parish priest of Żejtun was alarmed at these preparations, particularly the suggestions to bear arms in the protest, and informed Bishop [[Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa]].<ref name="HOP110"/> The Bishop sent the priest to the inquisitor, Fabio Chigi, later [[Pope Alexander VII]], who ordered him to report everything to the grandmaster. The latter imprisoned the lay leaders of the revolt. Acting on Chigi's advice, the grandmaster did not arrest local priests, even if there were suspicions they were involved in the revolt.<ref name="Borg">{{Harvnb|Borg|1967|p=304}}</ref>
Around half a century after the reorganisation of the south-eastern parishes, Gregorio Bonnici, a local nobleman, bought a tract of land for [[Church of St Catherine, Żejtun|the construction of a new parish church]].<ref name="murder">{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-05-05/local-news/Murder-most-foul-hypothesis-over-boy-s-rape-hundreds-of-years-ago-6736207648 |title=Murder most foul – hypothesis over boy's rape hundreds of years ago |publisher=The Malta Independent |access-date=6 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706213730/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-05-05/local-news/Murder-most-foul-hypothesis-over-boy-s-rape-hundreds-of-years-ago-6736207648 |archive-date=6 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The foundation stone was laid by Bishop [[Davide Cocco Palmieri]] on 25 November 1692, with Don Ugolino Bonnici as archpriest. The church was designed by [[Lorenzo Gafà]], with the lateral wings being later additions. The church was consecrated on 11 May 1742, with the anniversary of the consecration celebrated on the fifth Sunday of Easter. The church became a focal point for the south east of the island, providing new and ample wall space for the artists of the late Maltese Baroque. Artists such as Enrico Regnaud, [[Gio Nicola Buhagiar]] and [[Francesco Zahra]] all executed works in this church. The latter was the most talented artist of this period, whose presence in Żejtun was secured at an early age because his father, Pietro Paolo, was working on the stone carvings within the same church. The two side naves were finished in 1778.
[[File:Parish Chuch Saint Catherine Zejtun 2018.jpg|thumb|right|Dome and interior view of the [[Church of St Catherine, Żejtun|parish church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria]].]]
The area in front of the new parish church, which lay between the two old cores, was built up immediately after construction works began on the church. This land, known as Gwiedi, includes a number of palaces, chapels and large houses. Gregorio Bonnici's palace, ''[[Aedes Danielis]]'', stands to this day on the main thoroughfare to the parish church.<ref name="murder"/> Grandmaster [[Ramón Perellós|Perellós]] built a summer residence, ''[[Casa Perellos]]'' in the narrow streets of Gwiedi, as a country residence during the feast of Saint Gregory.<ref name="places of interest"/>
A 1791 report by the Maltese Chamber of Commerce lists Żejtun, along with [[Valletta]] and four other cities, as one of the principal trading and commercial centres on the island.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Corsairing to commerce: Maltese merchants in XVIII century Spain|last=Vassallo|first=Carmel|publisher=Malta University Publishers|year=1997|isbn=9990945047|pages=60, 256, 274}}</ref> In fact, Żejtun was a principal residence for Maltese merchants in the late seventeenth century. Around 19% of Maltese merchants in [[El Puerto de Santa María]], [[Andalusia]] in 1791 came from Żejtun. In 1771, of the total number of Maltese merchants in [[Valencia]], 55% of merchants came from Senglea or Cospicua, while 32% resided in Żejtun.<ref name=":1" /> Such was the city's importance to commerce that seventeenth century contemporaries requested the construction of a public school in Żejtun, as it was a city where many merchants were to be encountered.<ref name=":1" />
In 1797, Grandmaster [[Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim]] was invited by the parishioners of Żejtun for the feast of St Catherine.<ref name="Vell88">{{Harvnb|Vella|1927|p=88}}</ref> After the feast, Don Giacomo Michele Tortella, in the name of the clergy of Żejtun and the villagers, petitioned the Grandmaster to raise the village of Żejtun to the status of a city, on grounds of the town's large size, its established commercial interests and military contribution.<ref name="AOM209">{{Harvnb|Archives of the Order of Malta|1797|p=209}}</ref> The petition was received, and on 30 December 1797, Grandmaster Hompesch recognised Żejtun as a city, granting it the title ''Ċittà Beland'', this being his mother's maiden name.{{refn|group=n|{{in lang|la}}'' "Fiat p. perpetuite sub nomine Beland." ''<ref name="AOM209"/> }}
During the [[Siege of Malta (1798–1800)|French Blockade]], Żejtun was garrisoned by Maltese irregulars and British elements. The Maltese built [[Żejtun Batteries|a number of batteries]] to protect the city.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=Maltese 'siege' batteries of the blockade 1798–1800|journal=Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification|date=May 2008|issue=6|pages=29–30|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/images/stories/Arx/arx6-2008.pdf|accessdate=24 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126232114/http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/images/stories/Arx/arx6-2008.pdf|archive-date=26 November 2016}}</ref> By the end of December 1799, the bulk of the [[30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot]] was stationed in the city, with advanced posts at Żabbar, and [[Fort Saint Rocco#San Rocco Battery|San Rocco Battery]] close to the coast.<ref name=Brit>{{cite web
|url         = http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
|title       = A HISTORY OF THE BRITISH ARMY IN MALTA
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130713054340/http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
|archive-date = 13 July 2013
}}</ref> In case of a French incursion from behind the [[Cottonera Lines]], the Maltese troops in Żabbar were to pull back rapidly and concentrate their forces on Żejtun. The town was ideally placed for defence, standing on a hill two hundred feet high, and surveying the surrounding countryside all the way to the [[Three Cities]]. Moreover, the old town core of Żejtun was easily defended, being a tightly packed maze of houses and narrow streets.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Malta: A Guide to the Fortification|last=Hughes|first=Quentin|publisher=Said International|year=1993|isbn=9990943079|pages=32}}</ref> During the blockade, the Żejtun regiment mounted an attack on an enemy entrenchment on [[Fort San Salvatore]]. During the same attack, the regiment went on to clear [[Villa Bighi]] from French forces and then snatched from under the French held fortifications a large wooden cross, which stood in the front parvis of the abandoned Capuchin Friary at [[Kalkara]]. [[Capuchin Convent Battery|The Friary later hosted a battery manned by Maltese insurgents]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/the-cross-is-salib|title=The Cross (Is-Salib)|website=Żejtun Band Club|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120043005/http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/the-cross-is-salib|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live|access-date=19 January 2018}}</ref> The cross, held as a war trophy, was displayed in the main square of the city, as a reminder for future generations of the bravery of its people.<ref name=":4" />
Four buildings in Żejtun – the old church of St. Gregory, a villa belonging to Bishop [[Vincenzo Labini]], and two villas belonging to Count Agostino Formosa de Fremaux ([[Palazzo Fremaux]] and Villa Arrigo) – were used as hospitals for invalids in the insurgency against the French.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Extreme Heritage Management: The Practices and Policies of Densely Populated Islands|last = Baldacchino|first = Godfrey|publisher = Berghahn Books|year = 2011|isbn = 978-0857452603|pages = 66}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Abela|first1=Joe|title=Żmien il-Franċiżi – Il-Vilel ta' Agostino Formosa De Fremaux Fiż-Żejtun (1798–1800)|journal=Festa Santa Katarina V.M. – Żejtun|date=June 1998|pages=31–32|language=mt}}</ref> Captain [[Alexander Ball]], stayed at Żejtun on 15 January 1799, in order to meet with the leader of a group of irregulars, [[Vincenzo Borg]] "Brared". The meeting was not held due to the latter's ill health.<ref name="App">{{Harvnb|Appeals|1811|p=18}}</ref> In recognition of the villagers’ participation in the revolt against the French, a garden was built in 1802 by [[Alexander Ball]], then British High Commissioner, as a gift to the leading representative of Żejtun, Ġuzè Abela. The garden, named [[Ġonna tal-Kmand#Żejtun|''Ġnien il-Kmand'']], served for administrative and embellishment purposes.<ref name="m3601">{{cite web
|url         = http://www.maltain360.com/default.aspx#120000119
|title       = Giardini Luca Briffa (Ġnien tal-Kmand)
|publisher   = maltain360.com
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130902233617/http://www.maltain360.com/default.aspx#120000119
|archive-date = 2 September 2013
}}</ref> The garden was designed by [[Michele Cachia]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Falzon|first1=Glen|title=Commemorating the works of architect who designed gardens after the French Blockade|url=http://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/imfakkar-il-perit-tal-gocommemorating-the-works-of-archictect-who-designed-gardens-after-the-french-blockadenna-li-nbnew-wara-l-imblokk-tal-francizi/|work=[[TVM (Malta)|TVM]]|date=5 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608191053/http://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/imfakkar-il-perit-tal-gocommemorating-the-works-of-archictect-who-designed-gardens-after-the-french-blockadenna-li-nbnew-wara-l-imblokk-tal-francizi/|archive-date=8 June 2017}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/905660778 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/898767422 cite #8 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>
===Late modern and contemporary===
The [[List of Governors of Malta|first British governor of the islands]], [[Thomas Maitland (British Army officer)|Sir Thomas Maitland]], instituted a number of reforms to the administrative and judicial systems of Malta. An important reform set-up local governments, first abolishing the old ''Luogotenente'' system by a proclamation issued in 1815.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Żammit|first=Winston L.|date=2006|editor-last=Vella|editor-first=Horatio|title=Il-Gvern Lokali f'Ħal-Għaxaq, 1773–1896|journal=Ħal Għaxaq U Niesu|publisher=Bestprint Co. Ltd.|pages=130}}</ref> In its place, the post of ''Luogotenente di Governo'' was established, with the new official being entrusted with the responsibility of administering one of six districts. Żejtun, along with Għaxaq, Żabbar, Tarxien, Paola, Gudja and Luqa, formed the ''District of Żejtun''. The first ''Luogotenente di Governo'' of the Żejtun District was Baron Pascalo Sciberras.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Luqa Briffa Gardens.jpg|thumb|''Luqa Briffa Garden'' or ''Ġnien il-Kmand'' was designed by [[Michele Cachia]].]]
Around the beginning of the 19th century, Żejtun continued to be a major contributor to the islands' agrarian economy. Many of the Maltese merchants and traders hailed from the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Markoe|first=Glenn|title=Corsairing to commerce: Maltese merchants in XVIII century Spain|year=1997|publisher=Malta University Publishers|isbn=9990945047|page=60|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIrtAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416045616/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jIrtAAAAMAAJ|archive-date=16 April 2017}} At Google Books.</ref> Żejtun had the largest amount of arable land devoted to food production on the island, amounting to {{convert|8585|acres|0|abbr=on}}, or 15.1% of total land under cultivation.<ref name="Mar588">{{Harvnb|Martin|1838|p=588}}</ref> Żejtun was the [[cotton]] producing centre of the islands, producing 10,312 cwt ([[hundredweight]]s) of cotton, or 20.8% of the total production in 1836.<ref name="Mar589">{{Harvnb|Martin|1838|p=589}}</ref> Such was the importance of the town for commerce, that a local merchant owned a [[single deck]] [[polacre]], named ''Zeitun''.<ref name="Lloyds">{{Harvnb|Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping (Firm)|1833|p=}}</ref> As Malta's economy shifted to the servicing of the [[Royal Navy]], much of the islands' commercial activity moved to the fortified cities around the [[Grand Harbour|harbour]]. The importance of the town declined gradually over time.
A venture by the ''British Irish and Colonial Silk Company'' to introduce silk production in Malta led to the planting of many [[mulberry]] trees in Żejtun in 1826, along ''Triq l-Aħħar Ħbit mit-Torok.'' Over the years, the trees became so deep-rooted in local history that their stretch of the main road from [[Fgura]] to Żejtun became known to locals as ''Triq iċ-Ċawsli'' (Mulberry Road).<ref name="mulberry">{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180816/local/mulberry-trees-face-the-axe-in-zejtun.686831|title='Sick' mulberry trees facing the axe in Żejtun|last=Micallef|first=Keith|date=16 August 2018|work=Times of Malta|access-date=17 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817112625/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180816/local/mulberry-trees-face-the-axe-in-zejtun.686831|archive-date=17 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
Żejtun was linked with a main aqueduct providing water from [[Siġġiewi#Zones in Si.C4.A1.C4.A1iewi|Fawwara]], with the project commissioned by [[Henry Bouverie|Governor Henry F. Bouviere]]. The aqueduct began providing water to the town in 1845.<ref name="Sav1">{{Cite book|title=Contemporary Medicine in Malta (1798–1979)|last=Savona-Ventura|first=Charles|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2016|isbn=9781326648992|pages=84}}</ref>  Twenty years later, in 1865, a [[cholera]] outbreak led to 84 deaths in the city out of a total population of 5,491. These were concentrated in the highest part town, near a windmill in the "upper casal, or ''el rahal ta' fuk.''"<ref name="Ghio36">{{Harvnb|Ghio|1867|p=36}}</ref>[[File:Police station zejtun 01.jpg|thumb|right|The Żejtun Police Station was built in a Neo-Classical style.]]Most of the fishermen who worked out of Marsaxlokk bay hailed from Żejtun, commuting back and forth from the shore. Around 1846, the first houses began to be built in Marsaxlokk, as fishermen from Żejtun settled there permanently.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Malta, Mediterranean Bridge|last=Goodwin|first=Stefan|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2002|isbn=0897898206|pages=69–70}}</ref> Eventually, the fishing village of Marsaxlokk was separated from Żejtun and became a distinct parish in January 1897.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lc.gov.mt/Page.aspx?catid=19&pid=188&lid=1|title=Local Councils - Marsaxlokk|website=lc.gov.mt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107082014/http://lc.gov.mt/Page.aspx?catid=19&pid=188&lid=1|archive-date=7 January 2018|url-status=live|access-date=7 January 2018}}</ref> As the town of Żejtun continued to develop, the British colonial administration built a police station and a public school. The latter was completed in 1908. Both buildings are built in a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-Classical style]], synonymous with public buildings under British Rule.
A year later, in 1909, the Daughters of the Sacred Heart set up a children's home in the town.<ref name="Sav2">{{Cite book|title=Contemporary Medicine in Malta (1798–1979)|last=Savona-Ventura|first=Charles|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2016|isbn=9781326648992|pages=189}}</ref> In 1913, Josephine Curmi established a home for girls in Żejtun, which was eventually transferred to its current premises in 1925 - the Jesus of Nazareth Home. The charitable institute was placed under the care and direction of the Missionaries of Jesus of Nazareth.<ref name="Sav2"/>
In the 1930s, the Żejtun parish minted 6000 aluminium [[token coin]]s inscribed ''Zeitun'' to use as change when renting a chair during religious functions. The locals began to use the tokens as currency, until they were banned by the authorities. The tokens were collected back and stored in the parish treasury, and were forgotten. They were rediscovered in 2011,<ref name=":5">{{cite web|last1=Carabott|first1=Sarah|title=100-year-old coins to save chandeliers|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150624/local/100-year-old-coins-to-save-chandeliers.573795|publisher=The Times of Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624192857/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150624/local/100-year-old-coins-to-save-chandeliers.573795|archive-date=24 June 2015|date=24 June 2015}}</ref> with the parish selling them to fund the restoration of the church's chandeliers. They have since become collectors' items.<ref name=":5" />
[[File:Zejtun,_view_from_Triq_Santa_Katarina_2020.png|right|thumb|Streetscape view with Żejtun's parish church, taken from Triq Santa Katerina in Gwiedi.]]
Part of Żejtun's school served as a hospital in the [[Second World War]], also housing the [[The Dorset Regiment|Dorsetshire Regiment]]. The number of victims from Żejtun during this war amounted to 113, with the city suffering a number of air raids due to its relative proximity with the dockyards. A marble plaque in the main square commemorates a particular air raid on the city.<ref name=zlc1>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/default.asp?pageid=3&id=36
|title       = Places of interest
|publisher   = Żejtun Local Council
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = dead
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150427110836/http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/default.asp?pageid=3&id=36
|archive-date = 27 April 2015
}}</ref>
After the war, a number of urbanisation projects were designed around Żejtun. These include housing estates in Ġebel San Martin, Ħal Tmin and Ta' Ganza. Home ownership schemes and the availability of housing plots led to increased urban sprawl and congestion. The town, however, retained some of its rural character. As early as 1952, the region around Żejtun was identified as one of the areas best suited for irrigation with treated second-class water.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Water Supply Resources of Malta|last=Morris|first=T.O.|publisher=Government of Malta|year=1952}}</ref>  The suitability of the quadrangle between Żejtun, Marsascala, Marsaxlokk and St Thomas' Bay was highlighted because it contained sufficient area of gently sloping land that could be irrigated by gravity. An [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] study in the early 1970s confirmed two areas in the South-East Malta, centred around Żejtun, which were deemed suitable for second-class water irrigation.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Wastes Disposal and Water Supply: The Soils of Malta|last=Sivarajasingham|first=S.|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization|year=1971|location=Rome}}</ref>
In the 1980s, Żejtun was known for fervent political rivalry which culminated in 1986, with an infamous riot involving supporters of Malta's two main political parties.<ref name="Barr">{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110918/letters/Warped-Wikipedia-entry-on-1986-Tal-Barrani-incident.385188
|title       = Warped Wikipedia entry on 1986 Tal-Barrani incident
|date = 18 September 2011
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150429014253/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110918/letters/Warped-Wikipedia-entry-on-1986-Tal-Barrani-incident.385188
|archive-date = 29 April 2015
}}</ref> The clashes took place on 30 November 1986 after the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist party]] proposed to hold a mass meeting in the town, traditionally regarded as a staunch blue collar area dominated by the [[Labour Party (Malta)|Labour party]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Country Report: Tunisia, Malta|publisher=The Economist Intelligence Unit|year=1986|pages=33}}</ref> The incidents sparked some of the most serious episodes of political violence in Malta and eventually, [[Constitution of Malta|a crucial constitutional amendment guaranteeing majority rule]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161130/local/30th-anniversary-of-tal-barrani-clashes-today.632408|title=30th anniversary of Tal-Barrani clashes today|last=Scicluna|first=Christopher|date=30 November 2016|website=Times of Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221253/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161130/local/30th-anniversary-of-tal-barrani-clashes-today.632408|archive-date=20 November 2018|url-status=live|access-date=20 November 2018}}</ref> The confrontations took place on the main road approaching the town, known as [[Tal-Barrani]].  Reconciliation and peace, however, prevailed.<ref name="Brig">{{cite web
|url         = http://www.michaelbriguglio.com/MA%20THESES%20-%20Chapter%203.pdf
|title       = Chapter 3, The Labour Party in perspective
|publisher   = Michael Briguglio
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = dead
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120227154738/http://www.michaelbriguglio.com/MA%20THESES%20-%20Chapter%203.pdf
|archive-date = 27 February 2012
}}</ref>
In recent years, Żejtun has benefited from a number of infrastructural projects and road upgrades,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/watch-work-begins-to-rebuild-triq-ic-cawsli/|title=Work begins to rebuild Triq iċ-Ċawsli|last=Mifsud|first=Nigel|date=16 July 2018|work=tvm.com.mt|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151505/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/watch-work-begins-to-rebuild-triq-ic-cawsli/|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/from-cawsli-to-l-ahhar-hbit-mit-torok-a-road-with-a-long-history-is-inaugurated/|title=From Ċawsli to L-Aħħar Ħbit mit-Torok – a road with a long history is inaugurated|last=Castilo|first=Ruth|date=16 May 2019|work=tvm.com.mt|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517080551/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/from-cawsli-to-l-ahhar-hbit-mit-torok-a-road-with-a-long-history-is-inaugurated/|archive-date=17 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/kongestjoni-madwar-bir-traffic-congestion-around-bir-id-deheb-works-due-for-completion-by-monday-morningid-deheb-ix-xoghol-mistenni-jintemm-sat-tnejn-filghodu/|title=Traffic congestion around Bir id-Deheb: works due for completion by Monday morning|date=23 February 2019|work=tvm.com.mt|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151502/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/kongestjoni-madwar-bir-traffic-congestion-around-bir-id-deheb-works-due-for-completion-by-monday-morningid-deheb-ix-xoghol-mistenni-jintemm-sat-tnejn-filghodu/|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref> including the opening of Malta's first segregated bidirectional [[bike lane]] linking Żejtun to Żabbar.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/travel/maltas-first-completely-segregated-bi-directional-bike-lane-will-link-zejtun-and-zabbar/|title=Malta's First Completely Segregated Bi-Directional Bike Lane Will Link Żejtun And Żabbar|last=Cilia|first=Johnathan|date=26 April 2019|work=LovinMalta|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151506/https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/travel/maltas-first-completely-segregated-bi-directional-bike-lane-will-link-zejtun-and-zabbar/|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref> The [[Malta Business Registry]] inaugurated its head office in Żejtun in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-06-29/local-news/Malta-Business-Registry-offices-inaugurated-by-PM-in-Zejtun-6736210170|title=Malta Business Registry offices inaugurated by PM in Żejtun|date=29 June 2019|work=The Malta Independent|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151504/https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-06-29/local-news/Malta-Business-Registry-offices-inaugurated-by-PM-in-Zejtun-6736210170|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref> A local NGO, ''Wirt iż-Żejtun'', successfully pressured government to withdraw plans to extend Bulebel industrial estate over nearby farmland,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/wirt-iz-zejtun-heartened-by-governments-buleben-assurance.672561|title=Wirt iż-Żejtun heartened by government's Bulebel assurance|date=7 March 2018|work=Times of Malta|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151505/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/wirt-iz-zejtun-heartened-by-governments-buleben-assurance.672561|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref> in order to protect the heritage of the south of Malta.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/wirt-iz-zejtun-welcomes-news-government-will-not-allow-development-wied-iz-zring-bulebel/|title=Wirt iż-Żejtun welcomes news that Government will not allow development in Bulebel|date=7 March 2018|work=tvm.com.mt|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151506/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/wirt-iz-zejtun-welcomes-news-government-will-not-allow-development-wied-iz-zring-bulebel/|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.islesoftheleft.org/wirt-iz-zejtun-and-bulebel-a-success-story/|title=Wirt iż-Żejtun and Bulebel: a Success Story|last1=Galea|first1=Raisa|date=22 March 2018|work=Isles of the Left|access-date=21 December 2019|url-status=live|last2=Scicluna|first2=Rachael|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151507/https://www.islesoftheleft.org/wirt-iz-zejtun-and-bulebel-a-success-story/|archive-date=21 December 2019}}</ref>
==Government==
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote = Source: Status Animarum 1679 – 1833,<ref name="Fior">{{Harvnb|Fiorini|1983|p=344}}</ref> NSO 1931 – 2011,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://secure2.gov.mt/localgovernment/file.aspx?f=8852 | title=Population statistics 1993–2013 | accessdate=14 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220194032/https://secure2.gov.mt/localgovernment/file.aspx?f=8852 | archive-date=20 December 2013 | url-status=dead}}</ref> NSO 2012 – 2016<ref>{{cite web | url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_C5/Population_and_Migration_Statistics/Documents/2018/News2018_022.xls | title=Population revisions 2012–2016 | accessdate=26 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126134858/https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_C5/Population_and_Migration_Statistics/Documents/2018/News2018_022.xls | archive-date=26 January 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref>
|1667 |1222
|1679 |1575
|1687 |1607
|1716 |2224
|1720 |2375
|1725 |2497
|1730 |2643
|1735 |2665
|1740 |2989
|1744 |2985
|1779 |3610
|1782 |3687
|1797 |4665
|1805 |4024
|1833 |5250
|1839 |5113
|1851 |5188
|1865 |5491
|1890 |6720
|1931 |8731
|1948 |11980
|1957 |11665
|1967 |10440
|1985 |11321
|1993 |12164
|1994 |11326
|1995 |11314
|1996 |11379
|1997 |11519
|1998 |11722
|1999 |11649
|2000 |11331
|2001 |11841
|2002 |11793
|2003 |11810
|2004 |11758
|2005 |11713
|2006 |11789
|2007 |11777
|2008 |11558
|2009 |11388
|2010 |11417
|2011 |11368
|2012 |11302
|2013 |11252
|2014 |11262
|2015 |11245
|2016 |11218
}}
=== Local Council ===
The Local Council is presently represented by Doris Abela (PL) as the Mayor, Joan Agius (PL) as the Vice Mayor, together with seven councillors, namely Amanda Abela (PN), Jesmond Baldacchino (PL), Dorcas Camilleri (PL), Raymond Caruana (PL), Roderick Caruana (PN), Sean Chircop (PL) and Stephania Fenech (PL). The current Executive Secretary to the Town Council is Anton Falzon. The term of the current local council was not extended to five years with last elections having been held in May 2019.
==Education==
Żejtun has a secondary school for girls, St Margaret's College, located close to Saint Gregory's Church. The primary school, consists of two primary schools, Żejtun Primary 'A' Dun Alwiġ Camilleri and Żejtun Primary 'B'. A kindergarten school and a church school, Theresa Nuzzo School, can also be found in Żejtun.
==Culture==
[[File:Ghana_Zejrun_Monument.jpeg|thumb|left|Statue of Mikiel Abela Il-Bambinu]]
===Dialect===
The Żejtun accent long ago acquired the [[Żejtun dialect|label of a dialect]], and is similar to many accents of the south east of Malta. In Maltese this is termed as ''Żejtuni'' and by the speakers as ''Żejtewnij''. The dialect is spoken by local inhabitants and those in neighbouring settlements around the city, such as Marsaxlokk.
Żejtun is considered the hub of Maltese folk singing, ''[[Għana (folk music)|l-għana]]'' and the city has given Malta many of its most respected folk singers. These include Pawlu Seychell ''l-Għannej'' (1907–1992),  Pawlu Degabriele ''il-Bies'' (1908–1980), Mikiel Abela ''il-Bambinu'' (1920–1991),  Żaren Mifsud ''Ta' Vestru'' (1924–1999), and Frans Baldacchino ''il-Budaj'' (1943–2006). Famous contemporary Żejtun folksingers include Fredu Abela ''iż-Żejtuni'' and Mikiel Cutajar ''is-Superstar.''
===Religion===
[[File:Chapel,_Zejtun,_Malta.jpeg|thumb|right|Church of St. Angelo]]
An important event taking place in the town during the year is the feast of St Catherine of Alexandria, which is now celebrated in summer and not in the traditional date of 25 November. On this day Żejtun's two rival musical bands, the Banda Beland and the Żejtun Band, perform in Gregorio Bonnici Square. The anthem dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, which is played during the feast, was written by Emmanuele Palmier-Cecy, and was composed by Don Lorenzo Mifsud.
On 3 October 1987, a referendum was held for Żejtun residents to see whether they wished the feast to be moved to summer, instead of its traditional day on 25 November. The referendum was held after a proposal by one of the town's feast organisations. The two village bands refused to have anything to do with the referendum, fearing it might incite division between the inhabitants. Of the 8,000 eligible voters, around 2,200 voted – roughly 25% of the electorate – of which 1,917 preferred the feast to remain in winter. 348 preferred the feast to be held in summer instead. In that year, the two village bands did not take part in the November feast events.<ref>{{Cite book|title=It-trasferiment tal-Festa ta' Santa Katerina V.M. fiż-Żejtun|last=Agius|first=Ġuzeppi|publisher=Għaqda Banda Żejtun|year=1990|location=Malta}}</ref>
Żejtun boasts a large number of chapels such as the one dedicated to [[Pope Clement I|Saint Clement]] (San Klement), [[Our Lady of Good Counsel]] (Il-Madonna tal-Bon Kunsill), the [[Our Saviour's Chapel, Żejtun|chapel of Our Saviour]] (Tas-Salvatur) and the chapel of [[The Assumption]] (known as ''Santa Marija'' in Maltese), the chapel of the [[Holy Spirit]] (L-Ispirtu Santu) in Gwiedi, [[Saint Angelo]] (Sant' Anġlu), [[St. Nicholas|Saint Nicholas]] (San Niklaw), Our Lady of Mercy (Il-Madonna tal-Ħniena), [[Our Lady of Lourdes]] (Il-Madonna ta' Lourdes),  and [[Chapel of St. Mary of Ħal Tmin, Żejtun|Saint Mary of Ħal Tmin (Santa Marija ta' Ħal Tmin)]]. Other chapels that in the recent past were part of the Żejtun parish are the chapel of [[Anthony the Great|Saint Anthony]] (Sant' Antnin) and the chapel of [[Saint Gaetan of Thiene|Saint Gaetan]] (San Gejtanu) in the limits of St Thomas' Bay.
=== Dress ===
The Maltese traditional dress, the [[għonnella]], was worn in all villages on the islands. In the south eastern corner of Malta, in particular in Żejtun, however, the traditional black ''faldetta'' was instead tailored in blue fabric.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Malta|last=Sitwell|first=Sacheverell|publisher=Batsford|year=1958|pages=58|via=Google Books|others=Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon (illustrator)}}</ref> In Żejtun, this type of dress for women was called ''xurqana''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://kullhadd.com/2016/09/18/meta-niftah-l-armarju-nibda-nqalleb-u-nsib/|title=META NIFTAĦ L-ARMARJU, NIBDA NQALLEB U NSIB…|last=Scicluna|first=Joseph|date=18 September 2016|work=Kulhadd|access-date=23 January 2018}}</ref>
===Gastronomy===
[[File:Malte, vignes près de Zejtun.jpg|thumbnail|Vineyards in Żejtun]]
Each September, Żejtun hosts an annual festival celebrating the olive picking season and olive pressing for oil.<ref name=ZLCaa>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/default.asp?pageid=1&module=news&catid=4&id=52
|title       = Activity Details
|publisher   = Żejtun Local Council
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = dead
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150427115135/http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/default.asp?pageid=1&module=news&catid=4&id=52
|archive-date = 27 April 2015
}}</ref> The aim of the festival is to highlight the intimate link between the city and olive trees, and the promotion of local olive cultivation. The activity starts with a defilé delivering the olive harvest, including the reading of a proclamation, or ''bandu'', and the blessing of the olives prior to pressing.<ref name=ZZ1>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081011/local/olive-oil-festival-in-zejtun-tonight.228381
|title       = Olive oil festival in Żejtun tonight
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|date        = 11 October 2008
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150429014218/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081011/local/olive-oil-festival-in-zejtun-tonight.228381
|archive-date = 29 April 2015
}}</ref><ref name=ZZ2>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110925/food-drink/Olive-festival-in-ejtun-today.386503
|title       = Olive festival in Żejtun today
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|date        = 25 September 2011
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130122051841/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110925/food-drink/Olive-festival-in-ejtun-today.386503
|archive-date = 22 January 2013
}}</ref><ref name=ZZ3>{{cite web
|url         = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110923/arts-entertainment/-ejtun-celebrates-the-olive-picking-season.386450
|title       = Żejtun celebrates the olive-picking season
|publisher   = The Times of Malta
|date        = 23 September 2011
|accessdate  = 25 August 2013
|url-status     = live
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140716221141/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110923/arts-entertainment/-ejtun-celebrates-the-olive-picking-season.386450
|archive-date = 16 July 2014
}}</ref> The city is also known for its wine production, with the [[Marsovin|Marnisi]] wine producing estate.
==Twin towns — sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Malta}}
Żejtun is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Twinning|url=https://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/twinning|website=zejtunlocalcouncil.com|publisher=Żejtun Local Council|accessdate=18 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221012814/http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com/twinning|archive-date=21 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Celano]], Italy
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Tocina]], Spain
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Oborniki]], Poland
==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=n}}
===Citations===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
===Bibliography===
*{{Cite book | last=Abela| first=Giovanni Francesco| title=Della descrittione di Malta isola nel mare Siciliano con le sve antichita: ed altre notitie, libri quattro| publisher=P. Bonacota | location=Malta| year=1647 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Badger| first=George Percy| title=Description of Malta and Gozo| url=https://archive.org/details/descriptionmalt03badggoog| publisher=M. Weiss | location=England| year=1838}}
*{{Cite book | last=Bonanno| first=Anthony| title=Malta: Phoenician, Punic, and Roman| publisher=Midsea books | location=Malta| year=2005| isbn=9993270350 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Borg| first=V.| title=Fabio Chigi, Apostolic Delegate in Malta, 1634-1639. An edition of his official correspondence (with Francesco Barberini, Cardinal Nephew) | publisher= Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana | location=Vatican| year=1967 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Bruno| first=Brunella | title=Roman and Byzantine Malta: Trade and Economy | publisher=Midsea Books | location=Malta| year=2009| isbn=978-9993272458 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Ciantar |first1=Giovanni Antonio |title=De antiqua inscriptione nuper effosa in Melitae urbe notabili dissertatio comitis ... |date=1749 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jeSltgAACAAJ |language=it}}
*{{Cite book | last=Ciantar| first=G.A.| title=Malta illustrata... accresciuta dal Cte G.A. Ciantar | publisher=Mallia | location=Malta| year=1772 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Dalli| first=Charles | title='Medieval Communal Organization in an Insular Context: Approaching the Maltese Universitas', The Making and Unmaking of the Maltese Universitas (A Supplement of Heritage) | publisher= Midsea | location=Malta| year=1993 }}
*{{Cite book | last=de Boisgelin de Kerdu| first=Pierre Marie Louis | title=Ancient and modern Malta, as also, the history of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem | year=1805 | page=58 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Ghio| title=The cholera in Malta and Gozo in 1865| location=Malta| year=1867 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Ferris| first=Achille | title=Descrizione storica delle chiese di Malta e Gozo | location=Malta| year=1866| page=367 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Fiorini| first=Stanley| title=Documentary sources of Maltese history: Documents at the Vatican; No. 1, Archivio Segreto Vaticano, Congregazione Vescovi e Regolari, Malta: Visita Apostolica n. 51, Mgr Petrus Dusina, 1575, Page 4, Issue 1 | publisher=Malta University Press | location=Malta | year=2001| isbn=9990945268}}
*{{Cite book | last=Fiorini| first=Stanley| title=Status Animarum I : A unique source for 17th and 18th century Maltese demography | publisher=Melita Historica | location=Malta| year=1983}}
*{{Cite book | last=Hoppen| first=Alison| title=The Fortification of Malta, 1530-1798 : The Impact on the Maltese | publisher= Hyphen| location=Malta| year=1980 }}
*{{Cite book | author=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping (Firm)| title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping | publisher=Cox and Wyman | location=England| year=1833 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Martin| first=Robert Montgomery | title=Statistics of the Colonies of the British Empire from the Official Records of the Colonial Office | publisher=W.H. Allen and Company | location=England| year=1838 }}
*{{Cite book | author=Mdina Cathedral Archives| title=Cathedral Archives | location=Malta| year=1494| page=Ms. 34, f.110 v.(1494) }}
*{{Cite book | last=Ordnance Survey Sheets| title=Map of Malta: Sheets 108, 109, 121 and 122 | publisher=OS War Office | location=London| year=1912–1914 | ref={{sfnref|Ordnance Survey Sheets 1912/14}}}}
*{{Cite book | last=Sovereign Military Order of Malta| title=Archives of the Order of Malta| location=Malta| year=1797| page=Ms. 623, f.209 |ref={{sfnref|Archives of the Order of Malta|1797}}}}
*{{Cite book | last=Vassalli | first=Mikiel Anton | title=Ktŷb yl klŷm Mâlti, 'mfysser byl-Latîn u byt-Taljân, sive, Liber dictionum Melitensium: hoc est Michaelis Antonii Vassalli lexicon Melitenese-Latino-Italum; cui post auctarium accedunt, appendix etymologica et comparativa, et duo indices vocum Latinarum ac Italicarum: Melitensibus numero | publisher=Apud Antonium Fulgonium | location=Rome| year=1796 | page=671 | ref=MAV}}
*{{Cite book | last=Vella| first=E.B.| title=Storja taż-Żejtun u Marsaxlokk | publisher=Empire Press| location=Malta| year=1927| page=88| ref=Vell88}}
*{{Cite book | last=Various| title=The appeals of the nobility and people of Malta, to the justice, public faith, and policy, of the British government, for the fulfilment of the conditions upon which they gave up their island to the king, namely, their ancient rights, under a free constitution.| location=Malta| year=1811 |ref={{sfnref|Appeals|1811}} }}
*{{Cite book | last=Vv.| first=Aa.| title=Communicaciones Y Conclusiones Del Iii Congreso Internacional de Genealogia Y Heraldica. 1955 | publisher=Ediciones Hidalguia| location=Spain| year=1955 }}
*{{Cite book | last=Wettinger| first=Godfrey | title=Place-names of the Maltese Islands Ca. 1300-1800 | publisher=PEG | location=Malta| year=2000 | isbn=9990992495 }}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Żejtun}}
* [http://www.zejtunlocalcouncil.com Żejtun Local Council]
* [http://www.zejtunparish.com Żejtun Parish]
{{Local councils of Malta and Gozo}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zejtun}}
[[Category:Żejtun| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Local councils of Malta]]
[[Category:Late Neolithic]]