The Victory Column in Vittoriosa standing defiantly in front of the medieval tower destroyed in a German blitz.

A recent contribution in Times of Malta underlined the importance of the collective memory of our nation state on the 450th anniversary of the epic siege of 1565. Its positive outcome has left its indelible mark on European history.

It was after the siege that Malta acquired a new political dimension enhanced by the exceptional feat of stemming the further expansion of the Ottoman Empire. No wonder that the European perception of Malta changed completely after the siege as it was no longer considered an extension of the Kingdom of Sicily or North Africa. The iconic victory shaped the future destiny of our island and it was at this time that tiny Malta embarked on the bumpy nascent trail of independence.

Whatever the reason, one is never justified in distorting the collective memory of a nation in order to suit the exigencies of the present – in other words, a national event should be held where it actually occurred. In this case it was Vittoriosa and its citizens that suffered the brunt of the Turkisk attacks, emerging victorious, and not Valletta, which was a barren wasteland where the Turkish command pitched tents.

Valletta will surely have its hour of glory next year in the celebrations to mark its foundation in 1566 as well as in 2018, when it is crowned as the European City of Culture.

Lest we forget… it has to be stated that in the aftermath of the siege, the building of a new city on the barren land of Mount Xeberras, from where the Turks continuously bombarded St Angelo and Vittoriosa, was just a pipe dream as Vittoriosa was in ruins and the coffers of the noble knights were completely depleted.

It is recorded that when the Grande Soccorso entered the battered city on September 8, it realised at what price the island had been saved: “The maimed and wounded dragged themselves about their shattered fortress like figures risen from the dead.”

De Valette emerged not only as the main protagonist of the valiant siege with his headquarters in the middle of Vittoriosa, but also as the astute diplomat who exploited fully the significance of the siege to Christian Europe. Pope Pius IV contributed substantially to the building of a new city both in cash as well as by sending to Malta the finest military engineers to plan the new city.

The proud new city owes its origin to the humble Vittoriosa, whose patrimony is being repeatedly ignored and forgotten by those who organise our national festivities. Surely in this anniversary year, like the mythological Phoenix, the victorious city will rise from its acrid ashes to proclaim loud and clear its claim to have all commemorations, including the Pontifical High Mass on September 8, in the authentic venues where they occurred 450 years ago.

The muted cries of grief and injured pride will this year undoubtedly reach the corridors of power in the Vatican as the Vittoriosa-born cardinal Prospero Grech is surely hurt at this ignoble snub on his dear city.

Vittoriosa was ostracised, snubbed and sidelined and its heroes remained unwept, unhonoured and unsung

The siege maps depicting episodes from the brutal encounter published and distributed in the major cities of Europe, some of which, thanks to Albert Ganado, can be viewed at our National Museum, remain a tangible authentic reminder of Vittoriosa’s heroic stand against the Turks as Europe watched with bated breath and trepidation the ebb and flow of the siege.

For many years the collective memory was rekindled in the old city. In his 1894 book Holiday Customs in Malta, Vincenzo Busuttil graphically describes the celebrations in Vittoriosa: “The square is most tastefully decorated with splendid trophies and red and white flags. From each trophy broad red and white sashes are seen hanging, on which the names of those who distinguished themselves by some brave and noble deed in the memorable siege are written in gold letters.

The marble plaque at the Post of Castille in Vittoriosa where de Valette was seriously wounded during the Great Siege.

“The decorations of the Column of Victory in the middle of the square are simply magnificent. This column is surrounded by four figures representing the grand masters in full armour; one of these is the immortal La Valette. During the day the bands paraded the principal streets of the city preceded by large crowds carrying palm leaves and Maltese flags.”

This spontaneous enthusiasm evoked by the great victory was never witnessed when the national festivities were unceremoniously transferred to the new capital city. Vittoriosa was ostracised, snubbed and sidelined and its heroes remained “unwept, unhonoured and unsung”.

When Malta achieved self-government status in 1921 and September 8 was officially declared a national day, special celebrations were held annually in front of the Column of Victory erected by the Knights and the Vittoriosa Università. The names of Maltese heroes were etched on a marble plaque affixed to the medieval watch tower in the centre of the square. These festivities continued until the mid-1930s when an academic elite well placed with the colonial government, and who carried a lot of clout, under the pretext of a statue of the siege by Antonio Sciortino in Valletta usurped the historic right of Vittoriosa to hold this function.

A statue, however artistic, should never obliterate or distort the collective memory of a nation and it should be the National Festivities committee, replete with erudite historians to rectify this anomaly. I believe that all resident knights should rally to this just cause in order to put the record straight and fair.

A deep sense of history still pervades the narrow winding streets of the Collachio as an eerie silence engulfs the Sacra Infermeria, the noble auberges, the historic Post of Castille, known as l’Altare della Patria where de Valette was mortally wounded, the old armoury, the mighty land-front fortifications, the Byzantine Chapel of Our Lady of Damascus that proudly holds de Valette’s battle sword and, most importantly, the Victory Column and the former Conventual Church of St Lawrence. These sites are still there ready to tell the tale recently related by foreign authors of historical novels and historians.

Vittoriosa beckons on this momentous occasion, the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege; and as one trudges along the hallowed graveyard under the historic square to the impressive church parvis, one reaches the historic former conventual church. It was here that the Te Deum of victory was intoned as the Order saw its finest hour on September 8 to the cries of jubilation beautifully described by Francesco Balbi di Correggio in his diary.

As the visitor visualises the tragic events, a prayer is solicited, lest we forget: “Bless O Lord, these slaughtered saints whose sacred bones lie scattered on the church parvis.”