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. 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. Grandmaster Perellós built a summer residence, Casa Perellos in the narrow streets of Gwiedi, as a country residence during the feast of Saint Gregory. 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. 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. 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. In 1797, Grandmaster Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim was invited by the parishioners of Żejtun for the feast of St Catherine. 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. 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. During the French Blockade, Żejtun was garrisoned by Maltese irregulars and British elements. The Maltese built a number of batteries to protect the city. 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 San Rocco Battery close to the coast. In case of a French