As the recipient of the prestigious Croce Del Ordine, it is incumbent on me to ensure that the legitimate wishes willed to us by the Vittoriosa elders of the Università in collaboration with the Knights of St John are fulfilled.

During the time of Grand Master Ramon Perellos, they erected in 1705 a monument to the ‘Fallen of the Great Siege’ in the iconic Vittoriosa square “so that it would forever proclaim the great event and ensure its commemoration on the exact site where our heroes were buried”.

It is, however, sad that the collective memory of the nation is still being distorted as the authentic Victory Column has once again been ignored, snubbed and sidelined by the National Festivities Committee. They are holding these festivities with pomp and glory once again on the site that like the Phoenix rose from the acrid ashes of triumphant Vittoriosa.

Authentic historical sites need to be respected as they are hallowed ground immortalised by our forefathers who sacrificed their lives for God and country.

All civilised countries show due respect to such sites. When this year the 100th anniversary of the carnage of World War I on the bloody plains of Ypres and the Somme was marked, the moving commemorations attended by heads of state were held on these sites and not in some famous cathedral of Paris or Brussels.

Unfortunately, last century a privileged elite decided to wrench this signal honour from the humble maritime city and transfer its commemoration to elitist Valletta.

This year the Vittoriosa local council seems to be sending a message loud and clear to those responsible affirming that: “Vittoriosa, as the City of the Siege, is a national monument and we rightly expect that honour by having the national festivities on the exact site where they occurred.”

On their part, they only organised a wreath-laying ceremony at the foot of the Victory Column.

In spite of the ravages of the last war, Vittoriosa still retains many iconic sites directly connected with the epic siege.

A visit to the extant authentic sites would invigorate these celebrations, a nostalgic trip down memory lane not least to discover our roots. These extant sites include the erstwhile conventual church of St Lawrence, where the shattered knights and the shell-shocked impoverished populace dragged themselves like “figure risen from the dead” for the Pontifical High Mass on September 8, as so poignantly described by Balbi da Correggio in his Diary of the Siege.

Nearby lies the burial ground on which stands the ancient Byzantine chapel of Our Lady of Damascus, a favourite sanctuary for the devout de Valette. It was here that he prayed before rushing to the breached post of Castille where he was seriously wounded but the post was saved.

The ancient core of Vittoriosa called il Collachio is still immersed with relics of the Great Siege

In thanksgiving De Valette offered his military sword and hat still exhibited in the chapel. Traditions and legends linger on in Vittoriosa and the part that was breached is still known today as il-Prrexxa (breccia) meaning breach.

The ancient core of Vittoriosa called il Collachio, so magnificently restored by Heritage Malta, is still immersed with relics of the Great Siege. Besides the authentic auberges, mainly the Auberge d’Angleterre and the Auberge de France, we can still see at one end the huge Sacra Infermeria, now the home of the cloistered nuns of St Benedict built in 1533 and the armoury behind the lofty cavalier of St James.

The majestic three-gate entrance, namely Gate of Aragon, Couvre Porte and Gate of Provence is also a unique experience testifying to the European ethos of this city.

Girdled by impressive bastions stretching from Porto delle Galere, now Dockyard Creek, to Kalkara Creek, Viitoriosa is proud of its long connections with Fort St Angelo spearheading its line of fortifications.

It has to be stated that until 1922 the commemoration of the Great Siege was held exclusively in Vittoriosa on a national basis on September 8.

Contemporary writer Vincenzo Busuttil in his book Holiday Customs in Malta – 1894 graphically describes the 1894 joyous celebrations:

“The square is most tastefully decorated with splendid trophies of arms and red and white flags. From each of the trophies 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 golden letters.

“The decorations of the column of victory in the middle of the square are simply magnificent. This column is surrounded by four figures representing four grand masters in full armour: one of these is the immortal La Valette. During the day the bands paraded the principal streets of the town preceded by large crowds with palms leaves and Maltese flags in their hands.”

When in 1922, September 8 was officially declared a National Day, the September 8 festivities continued to be held in Vittoriosa with extensive press coverage. With the erection of Antonio Sciortino’s Great Siege Monument in Valletta a few years later, the celebrations were transferred to Valletta.

Resurrexit Victoriosa! A resurgent city reasserts its rights for recognition on September 8 and pleads with the National Festivities Committee to give back to Città Vittoriosa the full honours it deserves.

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