# Żabbar

Żabbar is a city of 15,000 people (2019) in the south-east part of Malta.

## Get in

In 2018, Taxify was €11-15 from the Malta airport.

## Get around

It is small enough to walk around.

## See

* 35.87477814.5341111 Church of Our Lady of Graces. The building was started in 1641 and was completed around 1718. A Maltese proverb says "a church is never finished", which is another way of stating that the people in a particular parish are never satisfied with their own church and, depending on their means, are forever the ambition that the church in one's village be better and bigger than the church in the next parish. The good people of Ħaż-Żabbar are no exception. Largely from the private funds of the Parish Priest Andrea Buhagiar, in addition to money collected from the people of Ħaż-Żabbar, work on embellishing the church was started in 1738. The Maltese architect Giovanni Bonavia redesigned the façade and two belltowers were erected; in addition the church was paved in marble and provided with a crypt. The main painting of the Madonna and Child is a work by the painter Alessio Erardi.
* 35.87484714.5338332 Żabbar Sanctuary Museum. Its artifacts span from prehistory to modern contemporary. The majority of the belongings have a religious theme, while others are secular. (updated Nov 2021)
* 35.87206414.5271113 Hompesch Gate. This commemorative arch was built in 1801 to commemorate its status as a city,
* Mediatrix Place (War Memorial, Hompesch Monument and Mgr. Joseph Zarb Monument)
* Sanctuary Street
* Saint James Square
* 35.877814.55974 Fort Leonardo. It was built between 1872 and 1878 by the British above the shore east of Grand Harbour.

## Do

* 35.87916714.5298331 Il-Foss football ground. It is the home of Ħaż-Żabbar's main football team, Zabbar St. Patrick FC. 1,000 seats.

### Feasts

Ħaż-Żabbar hosts a village feast on the first Sunday after 8 September, which features a motorcycle and bicycle pilgrimage each starting from Mosta and Rabat respectively. This is done because Our Lady of Grace is the patron of cyclists. Strong competition exists between the village's two band clubs, locally known as the Società Filarmonica Maria Mater Gratiæ (sporting blue and known as Tal-Baqra) and the Għaqda Madonna Tal-Grazzja Banda San Mikiel (sporting green and known as Tal-Bajda).[3]
Another feast celebrated in Ħaż-Żabbar includes St. Michael the Archangel on the third Sunday after 8 September. This feast includes a solemn mass at the Zabbar Sanctuary. During the evening a brass band march is held in the town centre. The band accompanies the statue of St. Michael the Archangel. The most sensational moment during this march is when the statue of St. Michael the Archangel passes in front of the monumental statue of Our Lady of Graces, the patron of Żabbar.
A procession of Our Lady of the Rosary is also held on 7 October.
Ħadd in-Nies or People's Sunday is celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. An afternoon pilgrimage accompanied by the titular statue, having a different starting point each year, is led by the Archbishop of Malta and ends at the Our Lady of Grace Sanctuary where a pontifical mass is celebrated. Among the celebrations for this feast one can mention the Classical Music Concerts held by the two local band clubs in the Notre Dame Hall.

## Eat

* 35.8711714.53591 Mevlana Kebab House, Triq Villabate. Great food, reasonable prices and friendly staff. (updated May 2018)