Kirkop

Etymology and population

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

History

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

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

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

Places, buildings and structures

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

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

Kirkop main roads

• Triq Ħal Safi (Safi Road)
• Triq il-Belt Valletta (Valletta Road)
• Triq il-Lewżiet (Almonds Street)
• Triq ir-Ramlija (Sandy Street)
• Triq It-Tielet Waqgha (Third Fall Road)
• Triq l-Industrija (Industry Street)
• Triq San Benedittu (St Benedict Street)
• Triq l-Għaraq tad-Demm (Bloody Sweat Street)
• Triq San Ġwann (St John Street)
• Triq San Nikola (St Nicholas Street)
• Triq Santu Rokku (St Rocco Street)
• Triq Taż-Żebbiegħ (Taz-Zebbiegh Road)

Band clubs

• St Leonard's Band Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali San Leonardu)
• St Joseph Band Club (Soċjetà Mużikali San Ġużepp Ħal Kirkop)

Zones in Ħal Kirkop

• Bonu ż-Żgħir
• Il-Għadir (The Lake)
• Menħir Estate (Menhir Estate)
• Tal-Aħfar
• Tal-Ibliq
• Tal-Fieres
• Tar-Robba
• Tas-Sienja

Twin village

• Rousset, France

References

References

1. (9 August 2011). "Population statistics". mjha.gov.mt.
2. (16 May 2014). "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014". [[Government of Malta]].
3. "Census of population and housing 2021 - Final Report - Population, migration & other social characteristics".
4. Sagona, Claudia. (2015). "The Archaeology of Malta". Cambridge University Press.
5. (27 September 2013). "Superintendence of Cultural Property". [[National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands]].
6. Farrugia, C.J.. (2004). "Intietef mill-ħajja tal-Koppin marbuta ta' żminijiet ta' gwerra". Festa San Ġuzepp, Kirkop.
7. "Site Officiel de la Mairie de Rousset sur Arc".