The old siege-battered city of Birgu, nestling behind the towering walls of the castle of St Angelo, gained worldwide fame following the ignominious departure of the Ottomans and the chanting of the Te Deum on that memorable September 8 in 1565. Grand Master Jean de Valette received innumerable messages of congratulations from European sovereigns. He proudly renamed the city Vittoriosa as a lasting testimony of that golden event in the history of the Order of St John and a turning point for Malta’s future.

Vittoriosa has continued to cherish the fact that the victory took place in that city, and many continued to remember the Great Siege and its protagonists. After the disruption caused by the war and the mass exodus of people from Vittoriosa, the Vittoriosa Historical and Cultural Society was born precisely with the aim of reviving the Victory commemoration.

Every year the society organised an oration delivered in Vittoriosa Square and laid laurel wreaths at the foot of the Victory monument. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Great Siege in 1965 the society put together a more extensive programme of activities.

It was only a year after Malta’s independence and the Maltese government was also keen to celebrate the event. The society sought the assistance of the National Festivities Committee, the local branch of the Order of St John and the Malta Tourist Board, which had just been set up. But most of the preparation was carried out on the society’s initiative and using its contacts.

In order to achieve a well-supported programme of events and to involve all sectors of the community, the society invited various entities and associations to participate. All the events were announced in advance in the press and were subsequently covered by reports and photographs. And on every occasion, the flags of the Order of St John (Il-bandiera tar-Religjon) could be seen flying from Vittoriosa rooftops.

The opening activity, planned to take place in mid-May 1965 to coincide with the laying of the siege, was an assembly of all school students at Vittoriosa. Students from St Edwards College, De La Salle College, Mount Carmel School and government schools converged at Vittoriosa Square and were addressed by then Minister of Education Anton Paris.

Schoolchildren were again invited to a Mass celebrated by archpriest Lawrence Mifsud at St Lawrence collegiate church. After the Mass he spoke about the history of the church, which served as the order’s conventual church upon their arrival in Malta and where the winning siege banners were presented and brandished. On that same day the Cospicua Scouts Group, whose headquarters is at St John’s Cavalier, Vittoriosa, gathered in a special rally at Vittoriosa Square.

In another event, the prior of the Dominican convent at Vittoriosa, assisted by the archpriest, celebrated a solemn Mass at the then recently-inaugurated Annunciation church. In the evening, the band of the British Duke of Edinburgh Regiment held a military parade along Main Gate Street and in the square, where the commander laid a wreath at the foot of the Victory monument to honour the English knights who fell during the Great Siege and whose Auberge d’Angleterre still exists at Vittoriosa. The band was then the guest at the Vittoriosa Band Club, which at the time bore the same name, Duke of Edinburgh Band.

In June, the society organised public tours of Vittoriosa’s historical Great Siege sites, especially the defences. The bastions were decked with large posters featuring the names of the garrisons responsible for them. Likewise, marble tablets were installed on historical buildings, thanks to research carried out by F.X. Mallia and G. Zammit, assistant director and director of museums respectively.

The climax of the Great Siege 400th commemoration was the solemn Te Deum chanted that evening at St Lawrence collegiate church by Archbishop Michael Gonzi

History enthusiasts enjoyed a series of historical articles written by the society’s secretary and published in Times of Malta on Birgu’s role during the Great Siege. The newspaper and its Maltese sister daily Il-Berqa, also gave periodic news coverage with photos of the events.

The society, in association with members from the Catholic Action distributed hampers to local people in Vittoriosa. The society also organised a competition on the subject of the Great Siege and awarded prizes at the St Lawrence Youth Centre.

In June the Malta Land Forces Band entered Vittoriosa in a magnificent military defilé and parade. Colonel Tabone was given the salute at Vittoriosa Square and he laid a wreath at the foot of the Victory monument in honour of the Maltese Great Siege heroes and defenders, most of whom were buried in the square.

Vice-Chancellor of the Order of St John Fra Enrico Rampolla (centre), flanked by Mgr Lorenzo Zammit (left) and Mgr Paul Galea and Can Anton Zammit Gabaretta, and other members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, at the start of the defilé on September 7, 1965, leading to Vittoriosa Square for the Victory commemoration. Behind them are the banners of the eight langues of the order.

HMS St Angelo, as the fort was known at the time, was still a British royal naval base. In July, the society was given special permission to hold a ceremony at Fort St Angelo typical of naval practice – that of showering flowers and wreaths into the sea from the top of the De Guiral Battery. This was the very place were the defenders launched a desperate attack during the Great Siege to prevent the enemy from penetrating Galley Creek.

Society president Can. Anton Zammit Gabaretta delivered an address during the event, which was attended by Commander Crawford and the staff of HMS St Angelo. Marines from the fort later performed a parade at Vittoriosa Square. Vittoriosa and Fort St Angelo later hosted a special guest, Fra Angelo De Mojana, the 77th Grand Master of the Order of St John.

In August, Vittoriosa parish celebrates the feast of its patron saint. The last sermon, which brings to an end the novena to St Lawrence, has traditionally been a recount of the happenings and victory of the Great Siege, popularly referred to as Il-priedka ta’ l-Assedju. Given the 400th anniversary, that year the sermon was given added verve. During the feast days, the collegiate chapter hall also staged a photographic exhibition on the Great Siege.

At a celebration later in August, the Capuchin Friars recalled the role played during the Great Siege by their virtuous Capuchin brother, Roberto Eboli, with his preaching and exhortations to the besieged, mindful of the fact that when it was inaugurated the Capuchin convent of St Liberata was in the Vittoriosa parish precincts. The Franciscan community walked in a cortege along Main Gate Street and concluded with the holding of an open air Mass in the square near the Victory monument.

The fallen of the Great Siege were remembered with a Mass at St Scholastica church, which forms part of the Benedictine nuns’ monastery. This building was built by Grand Master Philippe de Villiers de L’Isle Adam soon after the Knights’ arrival at Birgu to serve as the Order’s Sacra Infermeria. It was in this hospital that the injured defenders from beleaguered Fort St Elmo were rowed on boats at dead of night across the harbour and carried, via the hidden sally gate known as It-Toqba.

On the morning of September 7, the Prince of Wales Band of Vittoriosa held a commemorative event with a speech by the band club’s president, J. Saliba, followed by marches around the city. The climax of the Great Siege 400th commemoration was the solemn Te Deum chanted that evening at St Lawrence collegiate church by Archbishop Michael Gonzi, who was received at Vittoriosa Square by a salute given by the Royal Navy St Angelo squad. For the occasion the church of St Lawrence hosted many Knights of Malta, including the SMOM’s vice chancellor Enrico Rampolla. A commemorative marble table with a Latin inscription penned by Zammit Gabaretta was unveiled on the facade of St Lawrence church.

The guests then proceeded to Vittoriosa Square for the grand finale of the commemoration: the oration by Mgr Edward Coleiro, author of the daily chronicles of the Great Siege – Pass Pass ma’ l-Assedju – broadcast on national radio. This was followed by the presentation to the Vittoriosa Historical and Cultural Society of eight banners bearing the emblems of the Order’s eight langues, all of whom had their auberges at Birgu and participated in the city’s defence during the Great Siege.

The banners were presented by the ambassadors of the respective countries. This marked the first official occasion after Malta’s independence when these newly appointed ambassadors appeared in public as a diplomatic corp. The banners now exhibited at the Vittoriosa parish museum.

This year, Malta celebrates the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege. Vittoriosa local council is planning an appropriate programme. But considering the key role played by Vittoriosa during the Great Siege and its undeniable association with the victory, it is opportune that national celebrations also take place at Vittoriosa. This small fortified city, sentinel of the Grand Harbour for centuries, is owed a tribute for its historic and glorious past.