Photo: Charles Spiteri

Next Tuesday marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the statue of St Ursula in Gozo.

St Ursula, reputed to be a missionary princess from Roman Brittania, was martyred by the Huns near Cologne. Devotion to the saint in Gozo began in 1614, when Eugenio-Romirez Maldonado, a knight from Salamanca and governor of Gozo, donated a statue of the saint with her arm bone to the matrice in Victoria.

On September 6, 1620, St Ursula was declared patron saint of Gozo. The saint was invoked against natural catastrophes and three votive processions, in which the civil authorities also took part, were held throughout the year. One took place on October 21, the saint’s feast day which, until 1822, was a holy day and a national feast in Gozo. The procession made its way from the matrice to the Banca Giuratale, the seat of the local government, where prayers were said to invoke her intercession upon Gozo.

The statue has just been restored by Heritage Malta.

To mark the occasion, the Cathedral Chapter will issue a limited edition of 150 cards featuring a personalised stamp and a special cancellation hand-stamp that the Victoria Post Office will use on the day. The card and stamp were designed by Daniel Cilia and the special cancellation by Paul Falzon.

To place orders e-mail gozojb@gmail.com or call John Schembri on 7955 4891.