Our Lady of Victory Church, the first building to be constructed in the capital, has been placed in the care of Din l-Art Helwa for restoration and management.
The hand-over was announced this morning by Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Culture and the Environment Mario de Marco at a press conference held in the church.
Dr de Marco underlined the importance of safeguarding Malta's rich historic and cultural heritage. He said that historical gems such as the Our Lady of Victory Church were ingrained in Malta's national identity. These national assets were invaluable, not only from historic, artistic and cultural points of view, but also as an inherent part of the tourism product. For this reason, heritage conservation occupied a prominent place in government policies for culture, tourism and the environment.
The role of voluntary organisations, such as Din L-Art Helwa was absolutely crucial, said Dr de Marco.
Simone Mizzi, Executive President of Din l-Art Helwa, said that it was not by chance that the date 8th September was chosen to launch this momentous moment as the day marked two great victories for Malta over enemy forces in 1565 and in 1943.
It was to be kept in mind that Our Lady of Victory Church was dedicated by Grand Master de Vallette to the Virgin in thanksgiving for his victory in the Great Siege.
Ms Mizzi said that the church has suffered from centuries of neglect, its vault badly shaken with the bomb blast that destroyed the neighbouring theatre in the second world war. Subsequent water infiltration and rising damp over the years had caused further harm and it was a miracle that it could still be saved.
'The restoration of the Church has many difficult and sensitive priorities. There is the work on its monumental vault paintings depicting the life of the Virgin by Alessio Erardi, a Maltese baroque artist active between the late 17th and early 18th centuries that must be concluded. Their conservation was begun by work in 1998 commissioned by the Valletta Rehabilitation Project.
"There is also the restoration of its internal perimeter walls and their murals, the altars and many decorative structural elements. The choir and sacristy are in urgent need of disinfestation from termites as they are quite literally falling apart, the church organ needs to be reassembled and restored, and we would like to see the historic crypt where Grand Master de Vallette was first buried wholly integrated and secure," she said.
The church also holds many historic artefacts and documents many of which date back to the time of the Order of St John, and which need also treatment.
All this will be done in a phased programme of work which will ensure at all times that the status of the church as a place of worship is fully respected.
The church, however, will remain open for worship.