News
Jul - Sep 2011
www.vittoriosahistorica.org
Can. Joe Cilia – new Archpriest of Vittoriosa
Resoration of marble pillars at St Lawrence Church
St Lawrence Feast on television
The Piccolo Clero at St Lawrence in the 1960’s
Artistic heritage of a medieval parish church
Allusions to St Lawrence in Pope Benedict XVI’s speeches
St Lawrence Band July-August 2011 newsletter
Viaticum reinstated
Prince of Wales Band in St Dominic Feast
St Lawrence in a painting at Kirkop
The Romans at Birgu
Our Lady of Philermos
Klabb Sajf Birgu
Vittoriosa Main Gate
Original defence wall uncovered at Vittoriosa Ditch
Professor Guze’ Aquilina commemorated
Pope Benedict meets Spanish Youths
Casino’ di Venezia Hotel
Palace of the Galley Captains
Grand Harbour Marina successful 2010
Fr John Avellino’s 30th anniversary from Ordination
St Lawrence Musical in Gozo
San Lawrenz Church facade inaugurated
Open day at Dun Guzepp Cauchi House at San Lawrenz
Xaghra Basilica brochure
St Francis de Paola street statue in Valletta
Anton Agius works at Gozo
Alfred Mizzi Foundation promotion at Inquisitors Palace
Knights’ paintwork
1581 – an eventful year for the Order of St John
Madame Aurore Verie contributes to Migrants Museum
Taverna Sugu
Map exhibition
Clay statuettes exhibition
From the Great Siege to Lepanto
Great Siege drama on Italian TV
Capucchin Order becomes independent entity in 1740
The Hospitaller Knights of Malta
Luxurous superyacht at Vittoriosa Marina
Birgu as centre of maritime activity in Grand Harbour
Giuseppe Donati – Italian master at St Edward’s College in 1930
Jum il-Birgu 2011
Great Siege 450th anniversary
National Feast Day – Otto Settembre
Clash of Empires by William Napier
Feast of St Dominic
Patri Gejt Galea OFM Cap 60th ordination anniversary
Can. Joe Cilia – new Archpriest of Vittoriosa
The Archbisop of Malta, Mons Paul Cremona OP, led the ceremony of the insallation of Can. Joe Cilia as new Archpriest of Vittoriosa. The ceremony took place at St Lawrence Collegiate Church on 17 July 2011 and was followed by the celebration of Solemn Concelebrated Mass by the Archbishop together with some 25 priests. The event started with a procession from the Annunciation Church to St Scholastica Church and Monastry, and hence to St Lawrence Church, with the participation of the Vittoriosa St Lawrence Band, family members, the Vittoriosa clergy and guests. The witnesses for the investiture as Archpriest were Mons. Joe Carabott, ex- Archpriest of Mosta and Chev. John Critien, the Resident Knight and Governor of Fort St. Angelo. The latter presented the new Archpriest, upon instructions from the Grand Master of the Order of St John in Rome, H.E. Fra Matthew Festing, the presitgeous Cross of the Order Pro Piis Meritatis which had been grated to the Rev. Chapter of St Lawrence in 2004. The same decoration was also granted to Mons Salv. Debrincat who is a Canon of Vitttoriosa but had not been given the award before. On the same occasion a separate ceremony was held to appoint the Archpriest Canon of the Vittoriosa Colleggiate. In this case the witnesses were Can. Joseph Caruana, the most senior member of the St Lawrence Chapter, and the newly-ordained Rev. Stephen Magro, who is serving the clery at St Lawrence Church. The choir from Safi Sine Macule, and orchestra were directed by Mro. Tony Pace. At the conclusion, a reception which was open to all parishers was held on St Lawrence Parvis. The magnificent facade and dome of St Lawrence Church were colourfully illuminated. The official inauguration of the new Archpriest was preceded by a series of activities within the Parish, including prayer meetings, visits to Vittoriosa associations, meeting with youths and the elderly, Holy Communion to the sick. The number of inhabitants at Vittoriosa is circa 2,300. Can. Joe Cilia hails from Mosta and was ordained priest in 1994. He served in the parishes of Mgarr and Qormi and has lately been Parish Priest of Safi.
Resoration of marble pillars at St Lawrence Church
The rosso perlato marble covering the pillars in the main aisle of St Lawrence Church, erected in 1914, have long been suffering structural damage from sever humidity. In his inaugural speech on the Vigil of St Lawrence Day, the new Archpriest, Can. Joe Cilia announced that the resoration of this work of art will be among his first projects to be undertaken. He admitted this was going to be a challenging task, considering the huge expense involved.
St Lawrence Feast on television
Despite being a weekday, Wednesday, 10 August, the Feast of St Lawrence was this year covered almost for a whole day by a special broadcast by One Production. A team of well-prepared presenters, led by well known Charles Coleiro, streamed numerous features about the history of Vittoriosa and St Lawrence. The programme was prduced by Ray Azzopardi.
The Piccolo Clero at St Lawrence in the 1960’s
Among the various contributions in the St Lawrence Feast programme booklet is a short memento written by Stanley Spiteri, Committee member of the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society, about the altarboys at St Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa. The group was quite numerous and well-organised, under the capable hands of the then young Can. Dun Guzepp Caruana. The boys had to learn to recite the Mass in latin. The article is accompanied by a couple of photoes, one of which depicts the President of the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society, Mons. Paul Raggio, when he was himself an altarboy.
Artistic heritage of a medieval parish church
This is the title of Lino Bugeja’s article on St Lawrence Day in The Times of Malta. He explains how the veneration of the saint was introduced to Birgu by the De Guevaras, an influential noble family from Aragon, birthplace of St Lawrence. The Spanish imprint is still present at Vittoriosa as evidenced in the processional statue of the saint dressed in precious vestments. The church eventually became the Order’s Conventual Church. The church was rebuilt to the design of architect Lorenzo Gafa’ in the late 17th century and throughout the years has been embelished with ornate objects d’art, including the artistic organ loft, the walnut pulpit and the magnificent Mattia Preti pala d’altare depicting the Martyrdom of St Lawrence.
Allusions to St Lawrence in Pope Benedict XVI’s speeches
George Cilia, in an article in Lehen is-Sewwa, enumerates the various instances when Pope Benedict XVI makes reference to St Lawrence in his speeches or writings. The first such mention was in the Pope’s first encyclical Deus Caritas Est where he mentions St Lawrence’s as an early example of the church’s commitment to helping the needy.
St Lawrence Band July-August 2011 newsletter
This Edition, no. 64 focusses on the programme of the band’s participation in the feast of St Lawrence which culminates in the grand musical festival at Vittoriosa Square on the artistic bandstand under the direction of Mro. Paul Schembri. The theme for this year is The Americas as it is inspired from compositions with across the Atlantic. Simon Farrugia gives a resume of the various projects and resoration works undertaken by the Committee during the past year. The regular historical snippets from Anton Attard relate the inauguration to two artistic masterpieces at St Lawrence Church, the now extinct 1892 painting by Ignazio Cortis on the old dome depicting the Great Siege with St Lawrence pleading in Malta’s name, and the 1894 oak pulpit to the design of Giuseppe Soler, which survived the ravages of the war. He also refers to the visit of Governor Bonham Carter to Vittoriosa in 1936 who was greeted by the Archpriest and then paid a visit to the two Vittoriosa band clubs. George Cilia, Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society member, writes about the side altar in the Parish Church of Sacro Cuor, Sliema, dedicated to St Lawrence and its beautiful 1881 painting of St Lawrence by Giuseppe Cali. The regular interview by Paul Micallef this time, as expected, features the new Vittoriosa Archpriest, Can. Joe Cilia. He confesses he was daunted by the news of his Vittoriosa appointment but is happy to face the challenge.
Viaticum reinstated
As part of the first initatives of Can. Joe Cilia following his appointment as Archpriest of Vittoriosa, a solomn Eurcharistic procession to the sick and bed-ridden, the Viaticum, was organised in the street of Vittoriosa on the occasion of Corpus Cristi. This old tradition had slowly been forgotten. The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament used to be in charge of the Viaticum, and members of the would take part in the procession, bearing the ensign of the Confraternity and holding a canopy over the Eucharistic-bearer who was usually the Parish Priest.
Prince of Wales Band in St Dominic Feast
The particiption of The Prince of Wales Band in the Feast of St Dominic, which is celebrated in the last Sunday of August by the Domenican Friars at Vittoriosa, included the annual muscial programme and show held at St John’s Tower Street, in the open space known as is-sur tal-kurdari. This year’s theme was A Night at the Movies as it consisted of a selections of magnificanet musical film songs under the director ofMro. Emanuel Spagnol who hails from Vittoriosa. The evening ended with a firework display.
St Lawrence in a painting at Kirkop
The programme brochure if the feast of St Leonard at Kirkop carried a picture of an old painting of 1784 from the school of artist Francesco Zahra depictingSt Luke and in the background St Lawrence saving souls from purgatory and pointing at the Blessed Virgin and Child. This painting now hanging in the small church of the Annunciation at Kirkop, was loaned to St Luke’s Hospital at Pieta’ upon its inauguraton for veneration in the hospital chapel until a new paiting of St Luke was installed.
The Romans at Birgu
On the occasion of the 50th issue of Treasures of Malta the quarterly historical magazine of the Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, an article that appeared in the fabled No. 1 issue way back in 1992 has been republished. The article entitled The Romans in Malta by historian Anthony Bonanno, describes how at the start of the 2nd Punic War in 218 BC Malta was to be attacked by the Romans but the Maltese garrison surrendered to the Roman consul Titus Sempronius Longus, and Malta became a civitatis. The Roman period in Malta which is scantily recorded lasted for about five centuries. The article describes in detail the most important relic of the classical period: the Domus Romana of Rabat. The article also highlights the Island’s stategic location in the middle of the Mediterranean, even since the Phoenician seafarers plies from east to west along their trading routes and found safe ancorage in our ports. No mention is made in the article of existence of a Roman settlement at Birgu as evidenced by the Roman large stone foundations in one of the bastions at Fort St Angelo and the remains of Roman columns lifted from the site, one of which is exhibited in the courtyard of the palatial house next to the Manoel Theatre in Valletta, belonging to the Testaferrata Bonici family of Ghaxaq. For a study of the Roman connection at Birgu, reference is to be made to the article by the same author in Birgu: a Maltese Martime City, Vol. I.
Our Lady of Philermos
Treasures of Malta, issue no. 50 carries an article by Cynthia de Giorgio on the Chapel of the Virgin of Philermos at St. John’s Co-cathedral, Valletta. The article dweels mainly on the expert restoration under way in the church and in particular in this chapel which once housed one of the most precious effigies in the possession of the Order of St John, the icon of Our Lady of Philermos, placed in this chapel in 1576. The icon was brought to Malta from Rhodes in 1530 when it was installed in the chapel of St Catherine within the Church of St Lawrence at Birgu which had become the Order’s conventual church. The knights looked at the Virgin as protectress of the Order and the icon was believed to be miraculous and drew great devotion to it. It was customery for the knights to pray to the Madonna for her intercession before going on maritime expeditions. The church of St Lawrence was destroyed by fire in 1532 but the icon of the Virgin of Philermos miraculously survived. The episode was described by Giuseppe Porsella Flores in an article he wrote in Lehen is-Sewwa in 1930 and publised in the book Knejjes li m’ghadomx jidhru gewwa l-Birgu, 2002, edited by his son Joseph alias Geoffry Porsella Flores, member of the Vittoriosa Histroical & Cultural Society. The icon was removed by Grand Master Hompesch who took it with him to St Petersburgh in 1798 when the Order was expelled from Malta by Napoleon. The icon is noe preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts of Montenegro.
Klabb Sajf Birgu
As in previous years, the Vittoriosa Local Council coordinated the summer school for kids which gives the young participants the opportunity to meet and play games and take part in cultural activities. They also had the opportunity to meet the Archbishop in person in a special audition at the Curia.
Vittoriosa Main Gate
The Couvre Porte counterguard at Vittoriosa is being restored to its former glory, thanks to an investment of some EUR 9 million financed from EU. The project was unveiled by Resources Minister George Pullicino. The bastion will be surrounded by a ditch and the existing parking area adjacent to the gate will be moved away. Part of the project included the joining together by means of an archway of the Post of Provence which had been pierced by the construction of the access road into the city. The fortifications were built in the 1720s by French military engineer Charles Francois de Mondion over existing walls built around the time of the 1565 Great Siege. As works on the arch were going on, the original wall could be identified because of the different methods of construction used. Though these layers, now hidden behind the newly built arch, cannot be seen, a similar cross-section will be left bare in another part of the bastion as an archaelogical record. The Superintendent of Fortifications in charge of the work is Dr Stephen Spiteri.
Original defence wall uncovered at Vittoriosa Ditch
In the course of the restoration works at the Birgu fortifications, a unique stretch of defence wall dating to circa 1728 was discovered in the Ditch. The purposeof this structure, called caponier was to enable the defenders to move across the bastions while firing at the enemy. A wall next to the structure called tenaille was aslo discovered, meant ot mask enemy fire and provide shelter from the attackers. Both structures were fitted with masonry banquettes, designed by Mondion who had been engaged by the Order to remodel the Vittoriosa land side defences. Dr Stephen Spiteri, research co-ordinator on the restoration project and Malta connaisseur on defence works, led his team of experts on the discovery. He expained that the wall would be completed unearthed and cleared and reintegrated into the fortifications to be appreciated by the public.
Professor Guze’ Aquilina commemorated
This year happens to be the 100th anniversary from the birth of Professor Guze’ Aquilina, who was born in Munxar, Gozo. He was commemorated by a special event at the Public Library in Gozo and in his native village, Munxar. Professor Aquilina was a vanguard of the Maltese language and was one of the protegonists who saw the language being recogniazed as a National Language with a Faculty of the Maltese Language being set up at the University of Malta, with himself as Dean. He wrote various liguistic studies on the language, besides innumerable works in different genre: theatre, prose and poetry. He is connected with Vittoriosa because during the early part of his career he lived at Vittoriosa, with residence next to the Chapel of Ou Lady of Damascene. Life at Vittoriosa had an imprint on him so much that his remarkable novel Taht Tlett Saltniet is partly set in that city.
Pope Benedict meets Spanish Youths
Madrid has been this summer the host of a million youths from around the world to take part in the World Youth Day 2011, with Pope Benedict XVI himself as main protagonist. Various events and meeting were held for youths but one of the most keenly awaited encounter was that with some 2,000 Spanish University Students and Professors at the St Lawrence Basilica within the famous 16th century Royal Monastry of El Escorial in Madrid. The meeting place after the Pope’s meeting with the King and Queen of Spain in the same building. The building is run by Augustinian nuns. The El Escorial was built by King Philip II and is in the form of a grid-iron in honour of the Spanish Martyr, St Lawrence, after whom the King was devouted and also in commemoration of a victory at the Battle of St. Quentin over the armies of his rival King Henry II of France which took place on St Lawrence Day, 10 August. 1557.
Casino’ di Venezia Hotel
Work on the constrution of a new hotel by the owners of the Casino’ di Venezia, adjacent to the Casino at Vittoriosa Wharfis progressing rapidly. It is envisaged that the project will be completed by 2012. The hotel incorporated a newly built block but will also comprise two historical palaces of the Order, which survived the ravages of the war, and are being rehabilitated. The 5-star hotel will incorporate 100 duplex ans triplex rooms and will empoy about 100 staff. The site was visited by the Hon. Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, who was accompanied by the Mr Ferdnando Orlandi, the Chief Executive of the Casino’ di Venezia. The construction work is being very prudently handled because the area is entirely taken by the Vittoriosa Yacht Marina.
Palace of the Galley Captains
This palace of hosel along the Vittoriosa Marina was partly hit by bombing during the war and only received makeshift repairs by the British Navy. In recent years it was is in a state of abandon and vandalised. It is now undergoing reconstruction and repair on professional lines by the Cottonera Waterfront. It will eventually serve as a high-ranking chandlery and marine mega store to cater for the needs of yacht and boat owners. It will be run by an organisation set up for the purpose, Vittoriosa Marine Centre.
Grand Harbour Marina successful 2010
Camper & Nicholsons which owns the Grand Harbour Marina at Vittoriosa announced an increase in revenue of 14% in 2010 over the previous year, attributable to higher tariffs and stronger occupancy levels. The progress continued into 2011. However, a loss was registered largely owing to higher finance costs caused by a bond issue in 2010. Such funds are being used to further develop the Birgu marina and also to acquire an interest in the lucrative Cesme Marina in Turkey.
Fr John Avellino’s 30th anniversary from Ordination
This was marked by a Concelabrated Mass at St Lawrence Church in the presence of Fr John’s family and friends. Fr. Avellino, though not a Canon of the Rev. Chapter of St Lawrence, actively particpates in the life of the Vittoriosa Parish and is behind most of the public religious manifestation at Birgu. He promotes youth cultural events and is involved in the external festivites committee for the feast of St Lawrence. Fr John is well know as a religious jounalist and is editor of the church-run news media website Gensillum. He is also a lecturer of sociology at the University of Malta. The Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society wishes him well on this happy occasion.
St Lawrence Musical in Gozo
On the occasion of the feast of St Lawrence at the quaint village of San Lawrenz, Gozo, the village youth dramatic circle put together a play in the form of a musccal on the miraculous happenings in AD 1062 at the Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuor le Mura, in Rome. The church and monastry, run by the cappuchins, was the venue of a apparation of St Lawrence in the deep of night to one of the monks to whom the saint handed a miraculous girdle. The musical, composed by Joe Formosa to the script of Giovann Attard, was performed in the open in the village square and was recorded on CD.
San Lawrenz Church facade inaugurated
Also on the occasion of St Lawrence feast, the first phase of the project for the restoration of the parish church was completed. This consisted of the repair and renovation of the facade of the church in the village square. The facade together with the church parvis, were unveiled in a ceremony and presentation attended by the Minister for Gozo, Hon. Giovanna Debono. The project is partly financed by the EU Regional Developement Fund.
Open day at Dun Guzepp Cauchi House at San Lawrenz
Dun Guzepp Cauchi, a priest from San Lawrenz, Gozo, who led a saintly life and suffered humiliation with unwavering perseverance, has attracted several devotees to invoke his intercession. His residence has been transformed into a place of meditation, besides housing a number of his belongings. A commemorative marble inscription was set up on the main door of the residence to mark the 10th anniversary of the exhumation of the priest’s mortal remains.
Xaghra Basilica brochure
A visitors’ guide of the Basilica of Our Lady of Victories at Xaghra has been published, including a site plan of the church. The first chapel on the east side of the church is dedicated to St Lawrence. The altarpiece is by R. Cali’ while the painting in the dome is by V. Monti.
St Francis de Paola street statue in Valletta
In one of his biographical essays in Lehen is-Sewwa, Mons. Philip Calleja describes some of the street niches at Valletta, taking the cue from the recently published book on the subject by historian Michael Galea. One particular statue he dwells upon is that of St Francis de Paola, found at East Street corner with Sta Lucia Steet, just in front of the church of Sta Lucia. The authors points out that the church of Sta Lucia was formerly dedicated to St Francis de Paola and was actually the first church to be opened in Valletta. In the pastoral visit of Bishop Duzzina in 1570, it was recorded that this church was being administered by some Domenican Friars who had come over from Vittoriosa to meet the spiritual needs of the inhabitants of the new city that was just flourishing. The Domenicans used to stay in a house next to the church until they were granted a large section of the city where today the Domenican convent and church of Porto Salvo are located.
Anton Agius works at Gozo
The renowned Vittoriosa sculptor and artisan Anton Agius, who made a name for himself during the first half of the 20th century. His most famous work is probably the Funeral Decorative Deathbed (il-Monument) that forms part of the set of Good Friday statues at Mosta. Anton Agius made also several excellent works at Gozo, notably a series of frames and the Via Sagra at the Gharb Basilica. At Ghasri, the pulpit made of ebony nad mahogany is also to his design. An article by Toni Caruani in il-Korpus no. 36, published by the Ghasri community, commemorated the 75th anniversary from the inauguration of the pulpit. The authors comments that it was the marvellous pulpit of St Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa, the work of mastercraftman Fonzu Pace and unveiled in 1894, served as inspiration for the erection of numerous new pulpits around Malta and Gozo.
Alfred Mizzi Foundation promotion at Inquisitors Palace
This Foundation was established in 2004 with the aim of supporting cultural initiatives and encourages a wider appreciation of Maltese history. With this aim in mind, the Foundation teamed with Heritage Malta and generously contributed to the restoration of the ground floor halls and chambers of the Inquisitors’ Palace at Vittoriosa. This included the conservation of walls and archways that form part of the oldest sections of the Palace. A detailed exposition of the works is carried in an article in In-Nazzjon Taghna. One of the rooms that has been rehabilited served as the first office of the Vittoriosa Historical and Cultural Society upon its formation in 1954. Another room houses the old Birgu model, made by Ruzar Calleja, showing the layout of the city pre-1939.
Knights’ paintwork
In a letter to the editor on the Sunday Times of Malta, a contributor who has a keen eye, stated that some of the buildings of the Order of St John, despite the passage of time,still showed traces of the original paintwork. He commented that it was a pity that the remains of the old tints on the facade of the palaces along the Vittoriosa waterfront had been erased due to restoration, but he states that thankfully some of the old paintwork still survives on the facade of St Lawrence Church.
1581 – an eventful year for the Order of St John
It was the year when the Knights rebelled against the Grand Master, Jean Levesque de la Cassiere. In a two-part article in the Sunday Times of Malta, David Dandria descibes the turmoil through which the Order and Malta went through. There had been mounting unrest against the Grand Master, despite his magnanimous contributions towards the building of St John’s Conventual Church. His efforts to reinstate discipline among the Knights led to discontent and eventually they replaced him and actually imprisoned him in the underground prisons of Fort St Angelo. The nominated replacement was the Great Siege hero, Romegas. No solution could be found to the deadlock and ultimately both the Grand Master and Romegas were summoned to Rome for separate hearing by the Pope, Gregory XIII. Upon reaching Rome, Romegas, already an old man, fell ill and soon die. Grand Master de la Cassiere did not survive the ordeal either as he too died in Rome. His body was transported to Malta and was buried in the Crypt of St John’s Church.
Madame Aurore Verie contributes to Migrants Museum
The Church’s Migrants Commission’s long awaited dream of setting up a Migrants Museum is slowly becoming a reality. The object of the museum will be to record the history and chronicle the development of emigration movements throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It will also serve as a documentation and research centre using digital aaplications and will be housed at Dar l-Emigrant, Valletta. It is being piloted by Mons. Philip Calleja. In an article in Lehen is-Sewwa on the subject, he speaks on one of the first destinations of Maltese migration, Tunisia. In the article he pays tribute to one of the leading contributors to the musuem on the Tunisian scene, Madame Aurore Verie, born in Tunisia of Maltese parents and now resident in France. She donated innumerable documents, registers, photographs on life in Tunisia. Madame Auroew Verie is an admirer of the history of Vittoriosa. She gratuitously transflated into French, the Vittoriosa guide to the city published by the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society.
Taverna Sugu
This is the name of a small family-run restuarant situated in Pope Alexander VII Street, that was in the news, for the exquisite Maltese menu presented but mainly for the nice way the premises, with its characteristic townhouse features and twisty staircase, was restored.
Map exhibition
The Malta Map Society in collaboration with Heritage Malta presented an exhibition at the Malta Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa, of German maps of Malta from various ages.
Clay statuettes exhibition
An exhibition of clay statuettes of titular saints of Maltes towns and villages by Carmelo Agius (1922-2004) was held at the Inquisitors Palace, Vittoriosa. The Palace houses Malta’s Folklore Museum.
From the Great Siege to Lepanto
This is the title of the Sacra Militia Foundation Publication, 2011, edited by George Cassar, with articles by several historians. Following the Victory of the Great Siege of 1565, the Order though still in old Birgu, was busy with the constuction of the new city. Although the Ottomans has been given a drabbing at Birgu, they were still a force to be wreckoned with and their fleet was still at its might. These years were marked by the formation of the Holy League, masterminded by Pope Pius V. This led to the great naval Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571, a decisive battle not only for Malta and the Order, but also for Europe. It was the last sea battle fought with galleys in the Mediterranean, that involved 500 ships and over 170,000 men.
Great Siege drama on Italian TV
A report in MaltaToday announced that according to Italiam media, a four-eposode drama on the Great Siege of Malta 1565 was to be produced for RAI. It will be produced for RaiFiction by the De Angelis Group to be entitled L’Assedio di Malta. Filming is planned to start in spring 2012. The series will focus on three fictional characters embroiled in a love affair while the events of the Siege unfold in the background. It is not yet clear, however, to what extent location filming will be in Malta.
Capucchin Order becomes independent entity in 1740
Historian Winston Zammit in an article in Dawl Frangiskan writes about the establishment of the Capucchin Order in Malta as a separate entity in 1740, independent of the Provence of Syracuse of which it previously formed part. This was barely four years after the donation of the property by Giuseppe Habela in the outskirts of Vittoriosa for the constuction of a church and convent for the Capucchins, eventually to be known as Sta Liberata Convent. The premises were inaugurated in 1752 following a solemn procession from the Parish Church of St Lawrence, Vittoriosa. The first recorded presence of the Capucchins was during the Great Siege of 1565 when Fra Roberto d’Eboli exhorted the Birgu inhabitants and refugees to pray. Subsequently the Capucchins has their first convent erected at Floriana, thanks to the munificence of Grand Master de Verdalle.
The Hospitaller Knights of Malta
A new study of the Knights Emanuel Buttigieg entitled Nobility, Faith and Masculinity: The Hospitaller Knights of Malta has been published. It looks at the elite European noblemen who joined the Order of Malta which functioned in parallel with the nunneries that absorbed the daughters of the nobility. The Order provided a highly respectable outlet for sons seeking chivalric fame while remaining unmarried. After the expulsion from Rhodes, the Order was in disarray and it was only after they set foot in Birgu, even if initally reluctantly, was the internal structure and hierarchy put back in place.
Luxurous superyacht at Vittoriosa Marina
For a week in mid-August, the sleek black superyacht MY Serene graced the Vittoriosa Marina. This 134-metre yacht, built at the Fincantieri shipyards in Italy, is one of the 10 most luxourous yachts in the world. Besides it stupendous decor and outfit including a swimming pool on the deck, it is equipped with a helicoper and landing pad and a submarine. Crowds made their way to Vittoriosa to admire this amazing vessel which was on its first visit to Malta.
Birgu as centre of maritime activity in Grand Harbour
Birthplace of admirals, exploreres, adventurers and fierce corsairs. This is the title of an article by Lino Bugeja in the Sunday Times of Malta. The author takes the cue from the manager of the Vittoriosa Yacht Marina on the occasion of the prestigeous international classic yachts regetta who remarked that the waterfront “with Malta’s medieval bastions as a natural backdrop, is the ideal berthing place for these amazing boats”. Since medieval times the galley-repair facilities at the foot of the Castrum Maris, as Fort St Angelo was known, were a hub of maritime activity. The Birgu tarsenale is aleady mentioned in a 1374 document. Birgu gained even more importance after the arrival of the Order in Malta in 1530 who established their fleet headquarters at Birgu Wharf. The Birgu slipway became renouned also for the constructions of new ships. As a result of the martime culture, the Vittoriosa community and of the nearly towns of Cospicua and Senglea saw the emergence of various seafarers and sailors who made a name for themselves. The author mentions Vincenzo Barbara who joined Napoleon’s army and later became admiral. Another eminent personality is the Admiral Juan Azzopardo who brought honour to the Argentine Navy in the first half of the 19th century.
Giuseppe Donati – Italian master at St Edward’s College in 1930
The man who made world headlines for one day. This is the title of the article on this eminent personality, published in The Sunday Times of Malta by Giorgio Peresso. He as an avid anti-fascist, the right-hand man of Don Luigi Sturzo, founder of the Partito Popolare. In his role as editor of the party’s newspaper Il Popolo, he published sensitive revelations on the murder by the fascist thugs of the socialist Giocomo Matteotti – which brought him in confrontation with the regime. His stand against fascism was widely reported in the newspapers but he was soon to be forced into exile. While in exile, he was offered a post as master of Italian at St Edward’s College, Vittoriosa He joined the teaching staff in September 1930. The article carries a picture showing the students and staff, with Donati among them. While in Malta, though working for his Strickland employer, he befriended Enrico Mizzi. In 1931 his health started to wane from tuberculosis. He left Malta at the end of the scholastic year and died in Paris soon after his arrival there.
Jum il-Birgu 2011
This year the Vittoriosa Local Council deserves sincere compliments and gratitude from the decorous and effecive organisation of activites to celebrate Vittoriosa Day. The first event was a Solemn Mass at St Lawrence Collegiate Church, led by the Archpriest Can Joe Cilia and assisted by the Domenican Prior, Rev Frank Borg OP. Among the concelebrants were Mons. Paul Raggio, President of the Vittoriosa Histrocial & Cultural Society, and Rev. Paul Chetcuti SJ. The Kalkara Choir & Orchestra was in attendance. Besides the Mayor, Magistrate Neville Camilleri, Members of Parliament from the District, and representatives of the Vittoriosa associations and clubs were present. After te Mass, the Archpriest blessed the precincts of the St Lawrence Church, which had served as graveyard for the fallen during the Great Siege of 1565. The following day was a special day for Birgu: it marked the inauguration of the restored niche of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in St Lawrence Street, Vittoriosa, with its beautiful stone carvings, under the direction of Antiquities Architect Stefan Busuttil. Historian Lino Bugeja recounted the history of the chapel of Mount Carmel which, by coincidence, was inaugurated exactly 400 years ago in 1611. The Local Council availed itself of the Urban Development Fund from the Ministry of Environment. A popular event was organised at Couvre Porte: a play entiled Minn Wara s-Swar, written by Gorg Peresso, based on the Great Siege drama. What was significant about this play was that most of the actors were people from Vittoriosa who volunteered to take part. But the highlight of the acivities was the Commemorative Ceremony and wreath-laying at the foot of the Great Siege Monument, and the speech for the occasion by Mons. John Azzopardi. This year’s prestigeous award of Gieh il-Birgu went to Mr Joseph Scicluna who is a benefactor of Vittoriosa from all angles, as he is supports all sort of initiatives. Throughout the week, the Vittoriosa Local Council’s offices at Auberge de France hosted a crafts exhibition.
Great Siege 450th anniversary
Ray Bondin in a contribution in The Sunday Times of Malta, remarked that in 2015 Malta commemorated the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege. He argued that the opportunity should not be missed to make this an occasion to boast about and celerate. He said that one way to do this was to inaugurate a Great Siege Museum. The Vittoriosa Histrorical & Cultural Society endorsed this proposal and further suggested that such a museum should be sited at the Armoury Palace, Vittoriosa.
National Feast Day – Otto Settembre
The origin and development of the Great Siege Victory Commemoration, popularly known as Otto Settembre, and its transformation into Malta’s National Day, is traced and diarised in an article by Lorenzo Zahra, Secretary, Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society, in an article published in the Santa Marija feast programme booklet of the Nicolo’ Isouard Band Club, Mosta.
Clash of Empires by William Napier
This is the title of the recently published novel by Orion Books based on the Great Siege of Malta 1565. It joins the growing set of Great Siege literature alongside The Sword and Scimita, The Religion, and Blood Rock. The action scenes are vividly written, with pages of descriptive text dedicated to the barage of Birgu.
Feast of St Dominic
As in previous years, the feast in honour of St Dominic from the Annunciation Church was held on the last Sunday of August. Of particular interest in this year’s programme booklet for the feast was a researched article, writte by Anton Attard, vice president of the Vittoriosa Histroical & Cultural Society, about the origian and history of the Confraternity of the Rosary at Vittoriosa, the first such organisation in Malta going back to before 1580. An interesting fact about this popular confraternity, which at its peak counted in excess of 500 members, was that it ran its own chapel within the Annunciation Church, which chapel was its jealous possession.
Patri Gejt Galea OFM Cap 60th ordination anniversary
87 year-old Cappuchin father, Patri Gejt Galea, celebrated the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination in a Solemn Mass at the Santa Liberata Cappuchin Friary, Kalkara. In the early 1960’s Patri Gejt was one of the friars who used to walk every morning all the way from the Cappuchin convent at Kalkara to Vittoriosa to say the 6.30 am Mass at the Church of St Scholostica. He used to be assisted by the church warden at the time, the late Mr Giuseppi Dalmas, who was an active member of the Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society since its foundation. Our sincere conratulations to Patri Gejt.