Żurrieq is a town in the Southern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and it has a population of 11,823 inhabitants as of March 2014. Żurrieq is one of the 10 parishes to be documented in 1436 and it is dedicated to Saint Catherine. The island of Filfla is administratively a part of the town. The town stretches from Nigret to Ħal Far. In old times the town was had a border with Żejtun. The village of Qrendi used to be part of the parish of Żurrieq until 1618 when it was made into its own parish.
St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish Church, as viewed from Mattia Preti in Malta
Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early fourth century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar who became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity and was martyred around the age of 18. More than 1,100 years after Catherine's martyrdom, Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her.
Caravaggio, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, 1598–99, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Icon of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with scenes from her martyrdom
Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Artemisia Gentileschi
Catherine of Alexandria, by Carlo Crivelli
