In December 1598, a young German count visited Malta. As was customary, he was travelling through Europe as part of his education. He stayed in Cospicua and crossed the harbour to the ‘new town’ of Valletta. The Great Siege of 1565 was still within living memory for older generations.
Ending the Christmas period on the feast of the Epiphany, he visited a display by the Franciscan friars at the Capuchin church and monastery, built outside the city walls in 1588. This old site in Floriana was largely destroyed in World War II and rebuilt.
The young nobleman, Ludwig von Anhalt-Kothen, then went to St John’s church in Valletta. As the latest Christmas issue of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti’s Treasures of Malta shows, St John’s was then much plainer and less richly decorated than today. The sacristy was only just completed, and the oratory was not yet built.
This is a humane Christmas message, reminding people to reach out to those in need and to provide shelter
The church floor was not yet laid with tombstones of coloured marble, and the side chapel walls did not hold elaborate tombs of the grand masters. The pilasters and ceilings were not carved and gilded, and there were fewer paintings.
The interior of St John’s was transformed into a glittering Baroque temple 60 years later, under the supervision of the Calabrian artist Mattia Preti.
This is the 67th issue of Treasures, which was first published at Christmas in 1994. Over the past 22 years, this publication has admirably sustained its regular output of essays and continues to provide a wide range of information and research on Malta’s cultural heritage.
■ As 2016 comes to a close, so does the 450th anniversary of the foundation of Valletta, with many commemorative events having been held. In 2017, Valletta will now host meetings for Malta’s presidency of the European Council.
As noted wryly by the editor of Treasures in the preface: “Plenty of fodder for cultural nostalgia in the first, and for healthy national conceit in the second.”
Another milestone for the city will be its role as European Capital of Culture in 2018, for which preparations are in full swing.
■ A few years ago I visited the Museum of the History of Immigration in Paris. In a country increasingly sensitive to migrants, this museum highlights the multicultural background of a significant part of France’s population. Part of the display included charts showing migration over the centuries and across the globe. The patterns reach far and deep across spaces and time. But there is still resistance to the movement of people. There are so many complexities surrounding the acceptance and integration of different ethnic and social groups.
The museum reminds us that the citizens of a nation do not all share the same history. For Americans this is perhaps more obvious – it is a mainstream idea that America’s history is shaped by immigrants from different countries and backgrounds.
In Europe, the movement of people is still hotly contested, as to some extent seen in the surge in rightist politics. The Paris museum on immigration opened in 2007. Nicolas Sarkozy, then prime minister, had made headlines by not attending the opening, avoiding controversy.
History is not one straight narrative. It holds different, competing stories, each with their own context. Some may be ignored, suppressed or sidelined, but they are still reality. The stories of migrants in France, Britain or Malta are not embraced by everyone. But they involve real people, memories, personal histories and narratives.
Faced with a Maltese luzzu fishing boat in the Maltese nativity crib at the Vatican this Christmas, Pope Francis compared the plight of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to the story of the Nativity, when Mary and Joseph were turned away and not given shelter.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna explained that it represents all the boats and ships of our Mediterranean history, including those used for migration. This luzzu symbolises an “urgent appeal for a generous commitment of welcome to those crossing the Mediterranean in search of our solidarity”.
This is a humane Christmas message, reminding people to reach out to those in need and to provide shelter. The Commissioner for Children has also recently pushed for granting a more secure status to migrants, including children, who now view Malta as home. They should not grow up in constant fear of deportation, feeling insecure and with nowhere to go.
Besides the political, social or financial problems of migration, terrible scenes take place before our eyes. Young men, women and children drown in the seas around us, as they try to reach shore and find help. Migration is a story as old as the hills – and that does not make this disaster any less tragic.
Traditional Neapolitan cribs often fill their Nativity scenes with local, Italian elements. Besides the Holy Family, shepherds and the three Magi, these cribs are staged among people and buildings from everyday life and social history. The most unexpected objects can make an appearance on set.
The Maltese luzzu at the Vatican is quite in keeping with this old crib tradition. It also carries an important Christmas message about humanity and compassion.
Happy Christmas to all.
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