News
Jan - Mar 2010
www.vittoriosahistorica.org
Medieval Chapel of St Paul at Birgu
Sacred Music in Malta
The story of electricity-generation up to 1964
Vittoriosa Local Council wins Local Enterprise Award 2009
Life at Sea at Malta Maritime Museum
16 January 1941 war victims commemoration
Maltese Pilotage
50th anniversary of the inauguration of the rebuilt Annunciation Church
Wartime boyhood experience
St. Lawrence Band Club newsletter January-February 2010
Motor Cycle marathon
Renowned yachting organisation opened office at Vittoriosa Marina
Hold-up at the Casino di Venezia
Cleaning of Birgu fortifications
Tablets denoting the names of the Birgu fortifications
Fort St Angelo belfry restoration
Carnival murder at Fort St Angelo
Maltese National Anthemn played by Vittoriosa musical ensemble
Mro Paolino Vassallo’s antiphone to St Lawrence
Comparative Cultural Study
Medieval Chapel of St Paul at Birgu
Tristia ex Melitogaudo – Lament in Greek Verse of the XIIth century exile on Gozo is the title of a scholarly study by Joseph Busuttil, Stanley Fiorini and Horatio Vella. It is a translation into English of a long medieval treatise of a poet writing from Gozo. It sheds light on this poorly-documented period of the Islands history and gives an indication, contrary to what had been hypothesised, of the continuity of Christianity as well as the Pauline cult during the Arab occupation. During their scrutinty of old documents, the authors found that at Birgu there existed a chapel dedicated to St Paul, besides another one dedicated to St Bartholomew. For some unknown reason these two chapels were skipped during the nationwide apostolic visition of churches carried out by Bishop Pietro Dusina in 1574. The authors mention other contemporatry churches that were not included in the Duzzina chronicles. It should be pointed out that the Pauline devotion at Vittoriosa is also represented by an old oval painting of St Paul, accompanied by a similar one of St Andrew, that stood in the Chapel of the Confraternity of the Holy Crucifix in St Lawrence Church. These paintings were replaced by marble reliefs when the Chapel was decked with marble. For some unknown reason, too, Lorenzo Gafa’, architect of St Lawrence Church, placed a statue of St Paul, along with that of St Lawrence, on the facade of the church when it was constructed in 1698.
Sacred Music in Malta
In an analytical study of the development of the musical tradition in Malta in an article in The Sunday Times, Mr Lino Bugeja refers to the beautiful Renaissance Maltese music that is still lurking in archives and closters awaiting discovery and appreciation. He makes special reference to what is prbably the oldest manuscript in Malta: a very rare 11th century antiphonary in Aquitanian notation which is preserved at the Mdina Cathedral Museum. Many scholars believe that this originated from the liturgical objects at Fort St Angelo during the Angevin period.
The story of electricity-generation up to 1964
Mr Lorenzo Zahra, Secretary of the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society, is featured in Treasures of Malta, Vol. XVI no. 1 with an article on the development of electicity in Malta. This is a subject close to his heart as he was himself an employee of the elecricity undertaking for many years until his retirement. The research is based mainly on contemporary press reports. The orgin of electricity in Malta goes back to 1895 with the inauguration of the Lascaris Power Station. In one of the references quoted in the article, it is stated that in 1898 the dome of St Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa, was illuminated with electricity for the deast of St Lawrence for the unveiling of the fresco painting by Ignazio Cortis depicting the Great Siege. Another reference mentioned that for the feast of St Dominic at Vittoriosa in 1912 Strada Porta Maggiore was decorated with electrical festoons while other streets were lit up by gas.
Vittoriosa Local Council wins Local Enterprise Award 2009
The Vittoriosa Local Council has placed 2nd in the Local Enterprise Award and 4th in the Green Challenge Award. These schemes were drawn up by the governments Secretatiat for Local Councils to recogniseand financially support these local councils that take initiatives to generate trade and raise environmental awareness. The Vittoriosa Local Council organises various cultural activities in this regard, mainly in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority. It is also involve in the EU-funded cross border initiative known as Oralities.
Life at Sea at Malta Maritime Museum
As part of its programme of educational and leisre activities for the family, Heritage Malta organised another edition on the last Sunday of January 2010 of the Life at Sea experience at the Malta Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa. The event focussed on life at sea throughout the ages, with re-enactments of maritime lifestyle in Malta between the 16th and 19th centuries under the Order of St John, the French and the British rule, with special emphasis on the food and beverages consumed, the day-to-day work routines, and the musketry used, the military drills, as documented in various diaries of the epoch. Boat-model building demonstrations were given while an exclusive film of underwater wrecks was screened.
16 January 1941 war victims commemoration
The annual commemoration of the tragic bombing of the St Lawrence Church Aula Magna and Sancristy during the last war, when 39 people lost their life was held on the St Lawrence Church Parvis at the foot of the War Memorial Monument. A speech was delivered by Mr Paul Micallef followed by a wreath-laying ceremony.
Maltese Pilotage
Renowned maritime historian Joseph Muscat is featured in Vol XV, No. 2 published in January 2010 with an article on the story of pilotage. He traces its origin with the Order’s Fleet, with its basis at Vittoriosa Wharf, when even as early as 1534, Maltese pilots were praised by the Order and handsomely rewarded for their leading role in subduing a Muslim squadron. During the 1565 Great Siege it was Maltese pilots who maintained communications between beleaguered Birgu and Sicily. The formal establishment of pilotage took place under British rule, first as a private concern by a few pilots but developed into a well-established department catering for all merchant ships. The article decribes various historical events and incidents at sea involving the pilots. Understandably, various pilots hailed from Vittoriosa. The article carries the pictures of Pilot Salvatore Zahra (died 1934) and his son, the Chief Pilot Joseph Zahra (died 1946), in full uniform, both from Vittoriosa.
50th anniversary of the inauguration of the rebuilt Annunciation Church
The Dominican Covent and the Church of the Annunciation Church were severly ruined by bombing during World War II. The work of reconstruction took long and was finally completed in 1960. The Dominican Convent and Church had in the meantime moved temporarily within the Inquisitors Palace. The President of Malta, Dr George Abela, attending a brief ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration and blessing of the new edifice. Despite the destruction, the ancient Norman Belfrey that stood adjacent to the Church survived. Nonetheless, it was demolished on the pretext of road-widening. This was an unnecesary loss of a unique historical relic at Vittoriosa which could have been salvaged. The pleas of the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society to preserve the Belfrey were unheeded.
Wartime boyhood experience
Mr Lino Bugeja chronicles in blatently sincere language his shocking boyhood wartime memories at Vittoriosa in a series of two article, accompanied with rare period photos, in The Sunday Times. The war was particularly dreadful: the conditions in the communal shelter at the Post of Castille and in the crowded ditch were appalling, the repeated and savage air-raids so terrific and starvation so rampant that one can wonder how any chaild coul have survived. Thw war initiated a social revolution whose negative effects are still felt today. The war could be viewed in three stages: from June to December 1940 when, followint the initial shock and disruption, the danger was still not threatening; the second bitter phase was between January 1941 to December 1942 when the campaign shifted to the Mediterranean with the Luftwaffe pounding its might on tiny Malta; the third stage was in 1943 when, though the tide of war had changed, the local sceptre of hunger and disease lingered on.
St. Lawrence Band Club newsletter January-February 2010
Various interesting articles are carried in the No. 55 issue of the St. Lawrence Band Club newsletter. Mr Anton Attard writes on episodes that took place at Vittoriosa as the 19th century drew to a close and in the early years of the 20th century. He mentions the inauguration in 1892 of the Cortis painting of the Great Siege on the dome of St Lawrence Church. He then records an incident that happened in 1903 when the deacon Lorenzo Segona, later to become canon of St Lawrence Collegiate, and Fr Nerik Vella, from the Domenican Convent at Vittoriosa, who were crossing over to Valletta from Vittoriosa wharf by a Maltese dghajsa were lucky to escape from being crushed by a naval boat that was coming full-speed in their direction. Finally he recounts how the feast of St Lawrence had to be cancelled in 1914 due to the death a few days earlier of Bishop Pietro Pace, soon to vbe followed by the outbreak of World War I. Two other historical features in the newsletter are by Mr Lorenzo Zahra, about the successful tour of the Duke of Edinburgh Band to Tunes in 1927, and by Mr JC Azzopardi, about the bitter feud between the Vittoriosa and Cospicua Colleggiate Chapters more than a hundred years ago on the parish frontiers and which seems to have haunted us again with immediatly following the setting up of Local Council in the 1990s. The magazine also contains a lively interview with Mr Lorry Farrugia, an ex-bandsman and committee member of the St Lawrence Band Club, who recounts his efforts and experiences within the band club and his patient restoration of the artistic wooden plinth of the processional statue of St Lawrence.
Motor Cycle marathon
The Sunday marathon, sponsored by the Cafe du Brazil and the Vittoriosa Local Council, started from Ghajn Tuffieha at 9.00am. The motor cycles that took part rode through the main town and villages, concluding the parade at Vittoriosa Square around noon. The funds raised went for the purchase of books for the Vittoriosa Lending Library.
Renowned yachting organisation opened office at Vittoriosa Marina
BWA Yachting, a worldwide leader in marine agency services to superyachts, inaugurated a representative office at the Grand Harbour Marina in Vittoriosa. The company has 200 offices including basis in the world’s most famous yacht marinas: Monaco, Cannes, Monte Carlo, the Carribean. It now shares pride of place with the other prestigeous organisation already well established at Vittoriosa, Camper & Nicholsons. The Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society has called upon the government, now that Vittoriosa’s martime past is being revived, to restore and rebuilt the Auberge of Italy which stood close to the Birgu Marina before its partial destruction during the war. The Prior of the Langue of Italy was traditionally appointed Admiral of the Order’s Fleet.
Hold-up at the Casino di Venezia
A robbery involving six men took place at the Casino di Venezia at Vittoriosa Wharf. The robbers raided the building and held up the cashier and drove off to the waterfront where they boarded a small speedboat to flee from the quay. The police have not divulged the amount stolen which is believed to be around EUR 500,000. The investigations have so far yielded no results.
Cleaning of Birgu fortifications
The ambitious project, partly financed by EU Structural Funds, of the cleaning and restoration of the bastions around Birgu was taken in hand. Work start both fron the Couvre Porte side adn from the lower end of the Post of Castille. Work is in the hands of the SPIDER group and the Armed Forces of Malta.
Tablets denoting the names of the Birgu fortifications
During the Great Siege 4th Centenary Celebration in 1965 the bastions around Birgu, thanks to the initiative of the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society, were embellished with tablets indicating the various names attributed to them and referring to the different Langues of the Order of St John that were responsibile for their upkeep. These tablets served as educational and cultural guides to visitors. Over the years these tablets have become dilapidated. The Historical & Cultural Society is again making pleas with the authorities for the renovation of these tablets.
Fort St Angelo belfry restoration
The bell-cote on the Ferramolino Bastion on Fort St Angelo (also known as the Flag Bastion – is-Sur tal-Bandiera) is undergoing much needed resporation. In the process, the alarm bell has been in place since 1716 has been removed. It is to be noted that Fort St Angelo had already been decked with an alarm bell by 1274 as this is mentioned in a medieval Aragonese inventory complied in that year. The Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society has drawn the authorities’ attention for the return of this unique bell to its rightful place as soon as the restoration is completed. The Society’s concern stems from the fact that in the past there were other historic bell which for some reason ended up in some other location outside Birgu: thus the previous ancient siege bell that signalled from atop Fort St Angelo the commencement of the Great Siege on that dramatic morning of 18 May 1565, is for some mysterious reason to be found in the small Ascension chapel at St Julinas; likewise, the old Vittoriosa clock-tower bell is now found at St Paul’s Chapel, Birkirkara, while the bell belonging to the old Church of Our Lady of Montserrat was for a while at the Parish Church of Santa Lucija, though the latter has in recently years been returned to Vittoriosa and is displayed at the Parish Museum. The Historical & Cultural Society is likewise anxious about the return of the clock bells of the Admiralty Clock Tower which have been removed by Heritge Malta for restoration.
Carnival murder at Fort St Angelo
In an article in The Sunday Times, Eddie Attard recounts various episodes during the British period of incidents and disturbances in public order during Carnival celebrations. The first such Carnival related murder was that of Antonio Zahra, a private in the Royal Malta Fencibles who was on duty near Fort St Angelo on the eve of Carnival Sunday in February 1823. That night a carnival ball was being held inside the fort which was attended by several soldiers and sailors. Among these was the sailor Nicola Mattera. The latter quarrelled with another sailor as they wanted to dance with the same woman. When Antonio Zahra intervened, Mattera defied him, stabbed him and ran away. Mattera was apprehended, charged with the murder and executed in March 1823.
Maltese National Anthemn played by Vittoriosa musical ensemble
In an indepth study of the high literary poetic qualities of the National Anthem, Oliver Friggieri, in Analizi tal-Versi tal-Innu Malti recounts the story of its origin. The musical score was first written by Prof. Robert Samut and Dun Karm Psaila then composed the lyrics, simple and yet evokative. The anthem was inaugurated in a concert at the Manoel Theatre which was soon followed by a literary evening organised by the Ghaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti on 3 February 1923 when the anthem was played by the Societa’ Mandolinistica Melita of Vittoriosa.
Mro Paolino Vassallo’s antiphone to St Lawrence
In his studies of Maltese religious musical heritage, Simon Mercieca found that there is close resemblance between the Giuseppe Caruana’s popular hymn L-Innu ta’ Filghodu and Paolino Vassallo’s antiphone to St Lawrence written in 1907. Joseph Vella Bondin further explains that the Motu Proprio that reformed church music was implemented in Malta in July 1907. The first feast to be affected was that of St Lawrence on 10 August. It appears that Riccardo Bugeja, who was the maestro di cappella at St Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa, was unprepared for the new rules and the Collegiate Chapter hastily commissioned Paolino Vassallo, the Cathedral’s maestro di cappella, to prepare music in line with the new requirements. It would seem that Vassallo himself was already busy so he requested his leading students, among whom Giuseppe Caruana, to assist him in the task. This is the likely reason for the similarity between the two texts.
Comparative Cultural Study
A study is under way by the Atelier Cultural Management Agency. The project is supported by the EU’s European Cultural Foundation and is aimed at encouraging public engagement and giving citizens a more decision-making and participatory role. The study is being undertaken in three different changing urban contexts: Stockholm, Parma and Vittoriosa. Traditional qualitative interviews were used in the Vittoriosa research while in Parma and in Stockholm more visual approach was employed also using telecommunications media.