Luqa can be explored through its traditional town centre, St Andrew’s Parish Church and several clearly dated traces of its history. These provide a basis for deciding whether you are most interested in its historic urban fabric, sacred art, architectural history or local musical traditions.

Town Centre and St Andrew’s Parish Church

Luqa’s historic town centre has an organically developed street layout. St Andrew’s Parish Church, dating from the 17th century, dominates the main square. Here, two aspects of the town come together: the streets’ historic layout and a prominent church building on the square. The shape of the town centre itself is therefore part of Luqa’s history; the focus is not only on individual buildings. If you are considering Luqa as a place to stay, this combination offers an initial indication of whether the town’s history matches your interests.

Architectural History and Sacred Art

St Andrew’s Parish Church was originally built in 1670 and completely rebuilt between 1944 and 1962. These are two separate building phases: the church dates back to the 1670 building, but was completely rebuilt in the 20th century. It houses several works of art, including the titular painting by Mattia Preti from 1687. It was created 17 years after the original building and long before the rebuilding. This sequence is important to understanding St Andrew’s: the church brings together architectural history spanning several centuries and specific examples of sacred art. The titular painting provides a named art-historical reference point.

Other Historical Traces

Another landmark in Luqa is the St Vincent de Paul building, dating from 1862. Another historical reference is archaeological: a group of Roman catacombs was discovered in Luqa in 1912. The airport expansion in 1989 made the catacombs inaccessible. This is important for planning a visit: they form part of Luqa’s history, but are not an accessible visitor attraction. The history of Luqa Airport can also be placed in context: it began operating on 1 April 1940 as an all-weather airfield with paved runways. The 1989 expansion is the event associated with the catacombs becoming inaccessible.

Band Clubs and Festive Traditions

Luqa’s history of local societies also has several points of reference. The town’s first band club was founded in 1880 under the name l’Unione. Another band club is now known as Saint Andrew’s Band Club. The l’Unione Philharmonic Society took part in the annual titular feast of Saint Andrew celebrated in Luqa. This links the history of the music societies with the feast in honour of Saint Andrew. For a view of Luqa beyond its architectural history, this connection is revealing: religious heritage and musical society culture are both longstanding themes in the town, but describe different aspects of its history.

Discover more destinations: Marsa, St. Julian’s, Bugibba, Xaghra, Paola, San Pawl Il-Baħar, Żejtun, Pembroke

For the main travel overview: Malta.