Feast of Santa Marija in Victoria

The feast of Santa Marija will be celebrated at the Cathedral in Victoria on Wednesday.

Besides the religious festivities connected with the feast, this year parishioners and visitors will be able to see the restored upper façade (the work of Lorenzo Gafà 1639-1703) of the cathedral.

The restoration work is being carried out by Wiġi Vella and his son Mark assisted by other workers under the direction of architect Raymond Agius.

A new marble plaque recording the 29 archpriests, who led the Cathedral community from 1445 to date, was unveiled at the sacristy last Tuesday.

The research work was done by historian Mgr Joseph Bezzina, a member of the Cathedral Chapter, and was executed in marble by Raymond Bonello of Xagħra under the direction of Fr Joseph Calleja.

The inscription includes the coat-of-arms of the Cathedral Chapter, flanked by that of the island region of Gozo and of the City of Victoria .

Parishioners and visitors can also attend an exhibition entitled ‘Resounding Gozo – 150 years of music from Gozo and its inhabitants’ at the Banca Giuratale in Victoria. The exhibition consists of a set of photos of the Leone Band at different landmark periods, rare photographs, some of which date back to the late 19th- century mementos and priceless gifts presented to the band in the past.

Among the exhibits is a bozzetto and a hand-drawn sketch of the Aurora Theatre by Emvin Cremona.