In his historical study ‘Descrizione storica delle chiese di Malta e Gozodated 1866, Achille Ferris describes this church in the following manner (in translation): ‘During the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of the city of Valletta, which was carried out by Grand Master de Valette on the 28th March, 1566, an altar with a richly ornamented pavilion was erected on the site of the Victory Church, where on the arrival of the said Grand Master, mass was celebrated with the accompaniment of great music and the firing of cannon from all the fortresses during the Elevation’. It is traditionally thought that this church was built in the same place where the foundation stone was laid. Documentary evidence shows that during the ceremony of the laying of the first stone, Holy Mass was indeed celebrated there.   The Grand Master, Francesco Lapparelli, the Pope’s architect and engineer sent to oversee the building of the city,  and a large crowd proceeded to a site to lay the first stone of the new capital city.  Their first building was to be a church and Grand Master Jean de Valette and the Order of Knights dedicated it to Our Lady of Victory in thanksgiving for the renowned victory over the Ottoman army on 7th September 1565 – the eve of the day on which the Church commemorates the birth of the Blessed Virgin. During the Chapter of the Order in 1566, it was stipulated that this day be celebrated with extraordinary pomp in perpetuity. Grand Master de Valette funded its building personally and he wished to be buried in there, but his wish was not fully granted.   Although he was buried there on 22 August 1568, his remains were transported to the new Conventual Church of St John in 1579, together with those of Grand Master Pietro del Monte by order of Grand Master Jean de la Cassiere. The Order continued to use it until it left the island on the arrival of the French in 1798. At the time of its departure the church was under the care of the Maltese Chaplain Fr Michael Gatt, who thereafter changed his title of chaplain to rector in order to continue the administration of this church. Fr Gatt died in 1836, after which the church continued to be governed by rectors chosen from time to time by the Bishop in conjunction with the Civil Government. In 1837 it began serving as the Garrison Church of the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery and of the Roman Catholic members of other regiments in the British Army stationed in Malta.

Popular reference to the church as Our Lady of Victory or Victories followed another capitulation, namely the surrender of the Italian Fleet to the Allied Forces in 1943, also on 8 September. Its pastoral functions are administered by the Curia while its management and its restoration programme has, since 2011, been entrusted to Din l-Art Ħelwa by the Government of Malta.

The Church of Our Lady of Victory is located immediately behind the edifice of St James’ Cavalier and is directly opposite the church of St Catherine of Italy and close to the Auberge de Castille. This gives it an enviable position within the city of Valletta. In fact, it occupies one of the highest points of the Sceberras Peninsula on which Valletta was built and this proves the importance which given to this church by the Knights of St John.

At first sight the church seems to be built obliquely with the rest of the city but it is in fact exactly parallel to the city grid and built according to the design for the city that Laparelli and Gerolamo Cassar, his successor, already had in mind. This optical illusion is caused by the cavalier fortifications of St James which are placed obliquely to the street plan behind the church. 

Architecture

With the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St John, places of worship continued to flourish and older ones were converted to larger and elaborate places in the contemporary Baroque style. Villages expanded and their parish church became a symbol of wealth and pride. There was also a sense of competition between villages.

The situation in Valletta was totally different as it was planned on virgin land. Although the Great Siege of 1565, fought from Birgu, ended in a victory for the Maltese and the Knights, it revealed a number of weak points in the strategic defence of the island.   It had been therefore decided to build a new and stronger fortified city on the Sceberras peninsula. This involved a large labour force which had to work quickly and effectively as another attack by the Ottoman enemy was suspected. The origin of the Church of our Lady of Victory is intimately linked with that of the foundation of the city of Valletta.  The Knights probably knew that it was to be eventually replaced by another church which had to be larger and had to accommodate the wealth of subsequent Grand Masters. The Church of Our Lady of Victory was intended originally to serve the spiritual needs not only of the Grand Master and Knights but also of the workers building the new city so there was no time to build an imposing and elaborate structure. The defence of the city and the erection of the fortifications had priority. It is said that Grand Master de Valette spent several hours in prayer here as he inspected the building of his city.

The description of Malta dated 1568 from the Vatican Secret Archives quoted in translation in the same text stated that ‘within the city is a very small church dedicated to Our Lady of Victory wherein lies the body of the late Grand Master Jean de Valette’. It was therefore probably constructed in 1567.  The engraving of Antoine Lafrery du Perac dated 1566 shows a very schematic indication where the church could have been but the lack of details here leads one to suppose that it was planned but not yet constructed. In 1582 an engraving by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio shows an accurate depiction of the church’s location and approximate shape.

When the Order of St John officially moved from Birgu to Valletta on 18 March 1571, Our Lady of Victory became the conventual church of the Knights until the construction of the Cathedral of St John was completed in 1577. In 1617, Our Lady of Victory was declared a parish of the Order so that it would not fall under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Malta.

The original church, which had three altars, was probably designed by Gerolamo Cassar (c.1520-1592) as he was the architect responsible of most of the important structures of Valletta of the time. The Magisterial palace which was the next building to be erected nearby was also in line with the street plan. The general shape of the longitudinal nave over its crypt is probably original, but apart from this probably little else remains of the sixteenth century humble chapel. The building was reconstructed towards the end of the 17th century under the patronage of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Rocafull and this included a bronze bust of Pope Innocent XII above the central window of the façade. This bust is attributed to the Roman sculptor Giuseppe Mazzuoli, a student of Bernini. The present one is a replica of the original, now in the Fine Arts Museum in Valletta. The bust depicts the Pope wearing a stole decorated with vegetal motifs, secured by a cord, and a half cape. In 1699 the Grand Master gave permission for the church to be extended at its rear by 11 xiber (Maltese for the breadth of a human hand) into the bastion behind it to create space for its wooden choirstalls behind the main altar thus giving it its basilica style form.

The church presently retains its traditional basilica plan, with an apsidal east end and a barrel-vaulted roof.   The vault could be an extension of the original barrel-vaulted chapel but it could have been a reconstruction of the original with the eventual ceiling paintings kept in mind. What is curious is that the bays of the vault are not of equal width. In 1716 Grand Master Perellos announced in Council that he was commissioning the Maltese artist, Alessio Erardi, to paint the ceiling at his own expense with scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin.  These paintings, which are full of symbolic significance, are now perhaps the greatest artistic treasure of the church.

In 1752 the Baliff of Majorca, Fra Gerolamo Ribas Montelieu, under the order of Grand Master Emmanuel Pinto de Fonseca (1741 – 1773) oversaw another enlargement of the church, the addition of a bell-tower, and other alterations to the façade which was extended forwards. The lateral sides of the extension were extended inwards to produce a façade which is smaller than the original. On each side of the facade is a pilaster and half pilaster, set on a high dado, with Ionic capitals. These three elements are joined together with Vignola links over which are carved garlands. Small pedestals supporting stone flames are set at the extremity of the Vignola links where these meet the body of the church. The main entrance is surmounted by a broken segmental pediment, a motif that is repeated on the entablature. A bell tower is set back from the façade and has a cross on top. These alterations were paid for by this Baliff and have been attributed to the architect Andrea Belli or to Romano Carapecchia, the exact attribution of which experts cannot find consensus. The extent of this enlargement can be noted from the position of the coat of arms painted on the vault of Grand Master Emmanuel Pinto during whose reign this extension was conducted. This was the last extension of the church, even because no major extensions are possible due to the restricted location in which it is found.

A marble wreath culminating in the Papal triregnum (three-tiered jewelled papal crown) and a marble scroll with an inscription flanked by two coats of arms were placed to surround the bust of Pope Innocent XII. The inscription commemorates the Pope and states that the bust was installed by the order of Grand Master Perellos to mark the conclusion of the work commissioned by him in 1699. The Grand Master was indebted to this Pope who had solved some problems which had arisen between Bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri and the Prior of the church.

An inscription on a marble slab made in 1924 was affixed to one side of the church to commemorate the foundation stone of Valletta.

Din l-Art Ħelwa Is Given Guardianship. The Restoration Of The Church And Its Contents Begins.

Din l-Art Ħelwa had long campaigned with government for this national jewel to be saved as it had fallen into a great state of neglect. Water had infiltrated from its roof and its important ceiling paintings were in great danger of being lost.

On 8 September 2011 the then Minister for Culture, Dr Mario de Marco, announced the Guardianship Deed for Our Lady of Victory Church granting it under such title to Din l-Art Ħelwa. It was not a coincidence that this day was chosen. The 8th of September commemorates the victory of Malta against the invading Ottoman forces in 1565, an episode which features in the vault paintings at Our Lady of Victory church. For Din l-Art Ħelwa this day has now acquired another significance, one in which the organisation assumed the responsibility of restoring and managing this gem thus striking another victory for the nation. However huge funds were needed if the church and its contents were to be saved.  Some 1.6 million euros were to be raised over a six year programme.  In February 2012 Din l-Art Ħelwa, through its Executive President Simone Mizzi, appealed to the public to help save this historic building by contributing towards its challenging and multi-facetted restoration works. Malta’s business community were fast to rise to assistance and were invited to form part of what became known as ‘The Victory Team’.  Companies became involved and many individuals sent donations to Din l-Art Ħelwa’s offices in Valletta. Choir concerts and other events were also organised to raise funds and such activity continues today. Towards the end of 2013 Din l-Art Ħelwa was successful at winning a grant through the Malta Tourism Authority’s Programme for Sustainable Tourism through Regional Funds from the European Union and also benefitted from the Urban Improvements Fund of the Planning Authority. 

Saving the Building

Din l-Art Ħelwa had already been involved with the restoration of the external fabric of the church. In 1999, together with the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee coordinated by Dr Ray Bondin, Din l-Art Ħelwa received a sponsorship from Computime Ltd as part of their 20th anniversary to assist the organisation to carry out an urgent intervention in the restoration of the church. The decorative elements of the façade at roof level were in a perilous state and in part missing.  These were to be repaired using the same material, globigerina limestone. Furthermore, the upper storey of the bell tower was pointed using a lime-based mortar. These works were completed in the summer of 2001. In 2003 PricewaterhouseCoopers (later PwC) in a most generous sponsorship funded extensive restoration during which cement rendering was removed and the stone cleaned on the entire façade.  At the end of 2016,  another appeal by Simone Mizzi permitted more repair work on the masonry this time involving thorough repointing, changing of some stones and repair of the intricate stone carvings of the belfry. The generosity of companies and individuals to save this national church again saw funds raised for this final phase from the P. Cutajar Foundation, the Thomas Smith Group, Medserv Plc., Izola Bank Plc., Chevalier Joseph Micallef,  GasanMamo Insurance, Tug Malta,  J. Ripard & Son Ltd, and RClin Pharma Ltd while Malta Industrial Parks Ltd sponsored the cost of the repair to the belfry. Ganado Advocates contributed to the restoration of the stair well and roof. Work on the four bronze bells which date from the period of the knights also commenced and this specialised work, overseen by campanologist Kenneth Cauchi, was sponsored by the ADRC Trust.

A most generous sponsorship from the HSBC Malta Foundation enabled Din l-Art Ħelwa to continue and complete the conservation of the monumental Erardi vault paintings which represent various scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin. This complex treatment was commissioned to the wall painting department of the Courtauld Institute of Art, London who completed it between 2004 and 2015 having first conducted extensive scientific research and study. The vault paintings are so important they are discussed separately in this chapter.

PwC had already been involved with the restoration of the external fabric of the church between 2003 and 2004 during which cement rendering was removed and the exterior masonry cleaned. The latter restoration also included the façade of the adjoining chaplain’s house. Following the 2012 national appeal for funds, PwC again rallied to this cause and offered a long term sponsorship to save the art treasures of the church and the artistic decorative murals on the church interior walls.

The Alfred Mizzi Foundation, also one of the earliest supporters of the project,  offered its long term financial help for the restoration of the five altars and their carved reredosses: the high altar which dates back to 1752 and the other four together with their elaborate stone niches which were brought in between 1699 and 1736 by various confraternities.  With these funds, conservator Roberta de Angelis was commissioned by Din l-Art Ħelwa to start research on the perimeter murals and the four altar reredoses and niches to establish the methodology for the treatment of these areas.  In many places these decorative schemes are visible having emerged from behind many layers of paint.  This church is perhaps the only church in Malta where the original decoration of the ground floor walls has been saved, although further substaintial funds will be needed if they are all to be revealed.  This painstaking task of removing the grey lead paint on the altars’ carvings to reveal the original colours and gilding, was carried out beween 2014 and 2016.  It was commissioned by Din l-Art Ħelwa to Giuseppe Mantella Restauri and his team was led by conservator Silvia Orsi.

Interpretation, guide books, audio guides and a touch screen mobile unit were generously sponsored by the Vodafone Malta Foundation, in an initiative to provide the visitor with a complete experience. This sponsorship also enabled museum cabinets and equipment to be ordered for the chaplain’s house which now serves as a ‘Treasures of the Sacristy’ Museum. The grant from the European Regional Development Fund for Sustainable Tourism also assisted in the preparation of a visitors’ trail and the completion of an eleven minute documentary which the visitor can enjoy in the basement cinema of the museum.

At one point in 2013 in the hall way to the sacristy, the inappropriate ceramic flooring was removed and a deep well shaft was discovered after which a new flooring in Carrara marble was laid. A mineral extraction exercise to trace any sources of rising damp was carried out by Cambridge expert Tobit Curtis whose findings fortunately showed that there was no great source of underlying moisture. This structural research, tests and improvements as well as the costs of overheads were carried out with general funds made possible by the Strickland Foundation, the Farsons Foundation, P. Cutajar and Co. Ltd and Chevalier Joseph Micallef. 

Interior Of The Church

 

Walking down the left wall from the main entrance, the visitor first encounters the marble monument to the Venetian admiral Angelo Emo who died in Malta on 1 March 1792. Emo often visited Malta during naval campaigns in the mid-1780s. During one visit in 1791, Emo was struck down by a serious illness to which he succumbed. He was honoured with a high-status funeral in Floriana’s Sarria Church and also in Venice where his body was returned for burial and a monument in his honour was built by Canova. His heart, however, was buried in Victory church as he had wished, and this explains the presence of his monument, erected in 1802, the work of the Maltese sculptor, Vincenzo Dimech. The monument in marble and bronze was restored by Giuseppe Mantella Restauri at the end of 2013.

The first altar on the left is dedicated to Bishop St Liborius who is the patron saint of Paderborn in Germany. In this altarpiece by the Maltese artist, Ermenegildo Grech, the mitre, cope and crozier recall his bishopric, as well as the five small stones on the book in his hand, which tradition holds, also depict the devotion he enjoys from those suffering from gall stone. Completed in 1795, this signed and dated painting forms part of a lavishly sculptured altar in the theatrical High Baroque style. On the altar of Bishop Liborius stands the green and gold porcelain statuette of the Infant Jesus of Prague, popularly known by Maltese as il-Bambin ta’ Praga. This was donated in 2006 by the Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and their Association in Prague and is a fine replica of a statue venerated in the Discalced Carmelite Church in Prague, which was administered by the Knights of Malta. It holds a strong significance for those who are dedicated to the protection of the unborn child.

The second altar on the left is dedicated to St John the Evangelist and the main painting depicts St John the Evangelist whose confraternity had been established in Malta in 1735. The evangelist is depicted on the island of Patmos writing the book of Revelations. In the top left-hand corner one can see the figure of the woman of the Apocalypse referred to in Revelations, an important source for representations of the Immaculate Conception. The eagle, symbol of the Evangelist, crowns the stone altar which was embellished by the Confraternity in 1736. Fine motifs emerged during restoration and decorate the sides. This altar is flanked by two fine oval pendants attributed to the eighteenth-century Maltese painter Francesco Zahra or his school; on the left is a representation of Our Lady of Pilar with St James the Greater while on the right is a painting of a Guardian Angel. At this point there is a statue of the Good Shepherd, a processional statue brought by the teaching order, the Ordine del Buon Pastore dating to 1911. Instituted in 1848 by Gavino Mamo, whose portrait is in the Sacristy, this order was based at Victory Church and taught Christian doctrine to underprivileged boys.

The high altar which survives today is made of various precious marbles and dates to the 1752 modifications of the church. It accounts for the artistic patronage of Fra Gerolamo Ribas Montelieu, Bailiff of Majorca who paid for the extension of the church and its façade.  His coat-of-arms is engraved in marble on either side of the altar. Conservators James Licari and Frank Chetcuti, concluded restoration work on the high altar at the end of 2012 after two side marble corbels, discovered to have been removed and stuck into the side wall of the church to serve as a shelf, were reinstated by Joseph Debono, marble sculptor.  The silver gilt apostles used on the main altar were in a critical state and were restored by Giuseppe Mantella Restauri.

Beyond the high altar is the 18c choir with its wooden stalls. These were in a great state of disintegration and their restoration was done by Recoop Ltd with the support of Simonds Farsons Cisk Plc and Farrugia Investments Ltd.  Work started at the end of 2016 after mapping studies of each single piece of wood was completed. The 14 hand-carved pews and their semi circular priedieu were all individually made to suit the curved apse and are embedded in the wall that abuts that of St James’ Cavalier, making the work doubly difficult.

Above the choir one finds six paintings of considerable interest. In the centre is a small, but important, Mannerist painting representing The Nativity of the Virgin to which celebration the church was dedicated by Grand Master de Valette.  Small in size, it is believed to have stood above the altar of the original chapel of 1567. St Anne, Mother of the Virgin is depicted lying in bed just having delivered the Child. She is being offered food by a servant. St Joachim, Mary’s father, prays, whilst observing the midwives tending to the infant’s needs.

Above the titular painting is a byzantine icon of the Blessed Virgin and was one of the first pieces of art to be restored by Din l-Art Ħelwa. The icon, with its delicately painted copper face and finely engraved silver riza was badly tarnished through exposure to an inappropriately placed spotlight and its protective wooden niche had suffered deterioration and woodworm infestation. Its restoration had been made possible through the support of PwC, while the richly embossed blue fabric that now relines the niche was donated by CamilleriParismode. Restoration was carried out by PrevArti Ltd.

On either side of The Nativity of the Virgin are two paintings, salvaged fragments of a larger work which belonged to the parish church of St Anthony the Abbot in Birgu. On the left, one finds St John the Baptist, patron saint of the Order of St John, while on the right is St Paul, patron saint of Malta, both with their typical attributes.

Of great historic interest are the remaining panels of St Anthony Abbot on the left and St Anthony of Padua on the right with a donor in the bottom left hand corner. Both paintings are believed to have been brought to Malta from Rhodes in 1530 by the Knights of the Order. They were transferred to Our Lady of Victory Church from St John’s Co-Cathedral when the church was made Parish of the Order on 16 July 1617 and dedicated to St Anthony the Abbot, defender of animals.  In fact, his feast day on January 17th, and the traditional Blessing of the Animals was celebrated at Victory Church till well into the Fifties. 

Turning back, the first altar on the left is dedicated to St Philip Neri. In 1648, a community of Italians petitioned Grand Master Lascaris de Castellar (to allow them to set up a confraternity to this saint, known as the Apostle of Rome, in Victory Church. This petition was granted. The altar’s donor is the saint’s namesake who was the Grand Prior of Germany, Fra Philipp Wilhelm, Count of Nesselrode Reichenstein. His heraldic coat-of-arms are inlaid in marble on the ledge of the altar table. The altarpiece represents The Ecstasy of St Philip Neri. This saint’s spiritual experience was so strong that his heart was severely affected. Thus the stone relief of the flaming heart within the central roundel above the altarpiece may be a reference to the saint’s heart under the impact of his extraordinary revelation.  A baroque gilt reliquary containing a fragment of the saint’s alba is held in the Sacristy Museum and a collection of small silver ex-votos show the devotion this saint had for those suffering from afflictions of the heart.

The small painting of Our Lady and Child found at the foot of the titular painting of St Philip Neri, was donated by the Bailiff of Brandenburgh, Fra Philip Wolfgang von Guttenberg, and his coat of arms is at the bottom of the canvas. He was very devoted to the Virgin. The painting is a copy of the work of Carlo Maratta (1625-1713). Its restoration was done in 2013 by conservator Amy Sciberras and funded by PwC.

Two oval paintings represent St Camillo de Lellis on the left and St Francis de Paule on the right, said to be painted by a close follower of the important Maltese artist, Francesco Zahra.

At this point the visitor finds himself standing above the oldest part of the church and the entrance to the historic crypt of the church, the first burial ground in Valletta. As stipulated in his will, Grand Master de Valette, who had financed the building of the original church shortly after the Great Siege of 1565, was buried in this church on 22 August 1568. His successor, Grand Master Pietro del Monte, was also interred here. In 1579 their remains were transferred to the crypt of St John’s Co- Cathedral. The crypt still preserves historic burials.  A new cover for the crypt was hand made in wrought iron with a bronze eight-pointed cross by blacksmith Patrick Scerri il-Muzzanand fitted in November 2013.

Over the second altar walking out on the left, just after the crypt, is a painting dedicated to St John of God.  This was brought to the church in 1745 by the Chaplain of Obedience, Fra Domenico Xerri following orders of Grand Master Pinto. The painting had belonged to this Chaplain who popularised the cult for the saint. In 1797 St John of God was chosen as the patron of the Donats, benefactors of the Order of St John.   One of the two central tombstones carries the coat-of-arms of an as yet, unidentified Donat.  A Donat is a member of the Order of St John who is not yet elected to full knighthood. The coat-of-arms of a Donat bears only six points while that of a Knight bears eight, and is missing its upper bow. The worn-out marble slab is testimony to the many worshippers who have walked across the aisle over the centuries. The tombstones of the Donats were cleaned and restored by Elizabeth Apap Bologna towards the end of 2013.

Above the sacristy door is a painting of St Jerome attributed to the school of Mattia Preti. The penitent saint is depicted in the Syrian Desert holding a skull. During his isolation as a hermit, this Latin Father of the Church experienced strong sexual temptations and hallucinations. The stone in his left hand is part of the standard iconography of the saint and refers to the striking of his own breast as penance and to overcome thoughts that led him astray from profound spiritual meditation.

On either side of the main entrance are the polychrome statues of St Philip Neri on the left and Our Lady of Sorrows on the right. There are also two small marble fonts engraved with the initials of the Virgin Mary decoratively superimposed on a scallop shell. Above the marble fonts are architectural wall paintings which had been whitewashed in the past.

The 18C Positivo Organ And Its Cabinets

Above the main entrance is the organ loft and inserted in two niches are two wooden organ cabinets made from picea sp. (spruce). As we look up on the left, is a finto organ cabinet painted to look like a real pipe organ, while on the right is the real organ, equipped with lead pipes. Interestingly, however, the facade of the finto is divided into three while the facade of the actual one is divided into two. Documentary evidence shows that the organ predates 1790.  Within the register of the Treasury of the Knights then ruled by Grand Master de Rohan is found a petition by Mastro Pietro Santucci, an organ builder from Syracuse for payment for extraordinary work he carried out on a newly constructed organ which he himself constructed and installed in this Church.   The organ pipes and elements had been saved from an inappropriate restoration and put into storage at Fort St Elmo by Dr Ray Bondin, then leading the Valletta Rehabilitation Project.  When Din l-Art Ħelwa was given guardianship of Victory Church, the elements were returned and the meticulous task of establishing which were original and which were not was entrusted, along with their restoration, to organ conservator Robert Buhagiar who was able to preserve the original 18C pitch and tone of the instrument.  Completed by 5 December 2017, the restoration of this original 1790 positivo organ was carried out with the generous support of the Eden Leisure Group .  It was launched at a celebratory concert during the 2017 Malta International Organ Festival.

Din l-Art Ħelwa found the organ cabinet in a state of almost total wreckage, but this together with its finto pipe cabinet was restored betweeen 2013 and 2015.  The work was entrusted to conservators Erika Falzon and Michael Formosa and was part financed by the Tanner Trust. The finto cabinet was found serrated in two to permit the insertion of the 1937 harmonium but its missing pieces were found and reinstated.   Several grey over-paint layers of the pipe organ case were removed using a mixture of solvents and this exposed a fine decorative scheme in the Sicilian style of light green paint with gilt decorations. The finto cabinet was also similarly treated.  The restoration of the organ balcony, built during the 1751 extension of the façade and its 40 carved wooden balustrades and gilded corbals was carried out by Giuseppe Mantella Restauri and revealed fine decorative paintings. A frieze of 18th century motifs was discovered on the stone perimeter below the balcony, depicting sheaths of wheat and garlands.  The work on the organ balcony was carried out with the support of Dr John Vassallo and Dr Marianne Noll, while the work on the wall paintings was made possible by PwC.

Artefacts In The Church And Treasures Of The Sacristy Museum

While the restoration of the vault paintings and internal walls of the church were underway, work on paintings and other artefacts found in the church continued supported by the PwC funding programme. Before the guardianship of the church was entrusted to Din l-Art Ħelwa, a full inventory of its contents had been carried out by Maria Grazia Cassar, Council Member of the organisation and later Executive President.  One of the first paintings to be restored was a small painting of particular importance which is held within the church. Its delicate restoration was entrused to conservator Amy Sciberras.  This was the fine painting of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Commissioned by Giovanni Ignazio Fenech, a chaplain of the Order of St John, it was executed by Antoine Favray in 1759. Originally venerated in the Grand Hospital of the Order, the painting was transferred to Rome and enhanced with plenary indulgences by Pope Clement XIII, and returned to the hospital at Malta in 1767. The great devotional fervour it aroused caused disturbance to patients in the great ward, whereby by magisterial decree, the painting was permanently transferred to the church of Our Lady of Victory in 1770. The seals of Grand Master Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca and of the Prior Fra Bartolomeo Rull are seen on its verso.

Another important piece of art which was given priority by Din l-Art Ħelwa early in 2012 due to its gravely deteriorated state, was the portrait of Pope Innocent XII, an eighteenth century oil on canvas painting of unknown authorship. Pope Innocent XII, Antonio Pignatelli, was also Inquisitor in Malta before occupying the throne of Peter between 1646 and 1649 and is also known to be the last pope to have sported a beard. It is said that the painting, as was his bust,  was a peacemaking gift to the Bishop with whom the Pope had fallen out. This portrait was restored by Prevarti Ltd. and sponsored by PwC.   Another restoration worthy of note is that of an early 20th century rare oliograph depicting The Guardian Angel which was left in the church by the Order of the Good Shepherd (Ordine del Buon Pastore, or OBP).  The Order of the Good Shepherd was established in 1848 by Dun Gavino Mamo to teach Christian doctrine to the children of Valletta and was based in Victory Church. This restoration was carried out by conservator Erika Falzon.

Another painting and frame worthy of attention is the St John of God painting and its carved gilt frame which were reinstated into their place above the altar of St John of God in March 2017, a restoration coordinated amongst three conservators. Restorer Amy Sciberras worked on the Nazarene style painting of St John of God, patron saint of the Donati. The Donati were benefactors of the Order of St John who erected their altar in the church in 1736 and were given the right to be buried there.  The elaborate gilt frame was restored by Josef Aquilina, wood and gilt expert.  The frame is a work of art in itself composed of a complicated knitted and stuccoed fretwork.   At the same time,  Silvia Orsi, who led the Giuseppe Mantella team completed the work on the 1736 altar and its surrounding carved stone niche. 

The paintings and objects of art are moved from time to time according to liturgical or maintenance necessities, so the visitor may not find them located as recorded in this chapter.

The Vault Paintings, Their Symbolism and Significance,  and Their Conservation

The painting of the vault is the work of the Maltese Baroque artist Alessio Erardi (1671-1727) who was reputedly assisted, according to Art Historians Professor Mario Buhagiar, by Enrico Regnaud (1692-1764) or Professor Keith Sciberras, by Cristofano de Lucia. It is the most extensive wall painting by this Baroque artist who lived in Valletta and is the son of Stefano Erardi, also a famous Baroque artist and is the most important Baroque ceiling in Malta after that by Mattia Preti at the Cathedral of St John.

It is a fusion of real and imaginative realms and depicts episodes from the Life of the Virgin as well as various symbols of victory; after all the name of the church is Our Lady of Victory. The painting was conducted in oils on stone, an innovative method which was employed by Mattia Preti in the painting of the vault of St John’s Co- Cathedral between 1661 and 1665. Alessio Erardi painted the vault of Our Lady of Victory between 1716 and 1717 and is influenced by Mattia Preti’s ceiling with a similar architectural framework that divides each bay in three scenes. As in the case of the Co-Cathedral these divisions were obtained by means of fictitious architecture that employs the trompe l’oeil technique known in Italian as quadratura. The painted architectural structure is supported by atlantes figures and includes angels (putti), winged coats of arms, allegorical figures, gold floral patterns and festoons.

The arches which separate the vault into bays are also decorated with garlands rendered in gold. The spaces created between the three scenes are usually filled with angels carrying palm fronds. During the time of the Roman empire, palm leaves signalled victory in battle and this was adopted by Christianity as a symbol of victory by the faithful over those who want to claim their souls. Palm leaves are also most often given to martyrs.  The bays of the vault are not of equal width and it is thought that the artist dedicated the smaller bays to the more intimate scenes from the life of the virgin such as the Annunciation, while the larger bays depict the more glorious images such as the Assumption and public events such as both the Presentations at the Temple.

The first bay, starting from the altar end, is pierced by two windows, one on each side. Above each window are two putti, one of which holds a palm frond. This bay is dominated by the painting of two other putti. The one on the left side of the bay (looking towards the altar) is proudly holding the banner of the Order which is a white cross on a red background. The one on the right is holding the sword and dagger which were donated to Grand Master de Valette by Philip II of Spain in recognition of his role in the victory of the Knights of St John over the Ottoman enemy in 1565. These are now on display in the Museum of the Louvre.

The painting on the left side of the second bay, looking towards the altar, represents the Visitation where Elizabeth is greeting her cousin, the Virgin Mary in an open-air setting while Joseph, Mary’s husband, and Zachariah, Elizabeth’s, appear in the background. This episode is based on the Biblical story that immediately follows the Annunciation where the young Mary,  realising that she is now with child, makes for the country to her cousin Elizabeth who, although old, is expecting her child, John the Baptist. Although Mary went to offer her emotional support in such a miraculous situation, in this scene it is Elizabeth who is looking at her cousin Mary with a sense of encouragement, gently touching the abdomen of Mary, who although remaining a Virgin, is pregnant with Jesus. On the right hand side of this second bay is the painting of the Annunciation. In paintings of this type we typically find some kind of barrier or division between the angel and Mary that are crossed on the way to her acceptance. In this case this is a chair, on which is an open prayer book with its pages turning. Erardi focuses on the moment where Our Lady is saying ‘Yes’.

At the top centre of the bay is an angel holding a cross and wearing a helmet. A putto carries a scroll with the words ‘IN HOC SIGNO VINCES(in translation ‘With this Sign, you shall Conquer’), symbolizing the victory which the religious order of the Knights was to have over the Ottoman invaders during the Great Siege in 1565.  This motto of the Order takes its inspiration from the dream of Emperor Constantine, who had the vision of the Holy Cross before his victorious battle with the tyrant Maxentius at Ponte Milvio, Rome in the year AD 312, after which all of the Roman army was converted to Christianity. 

The third bay depicts the Assumption on the left side, where Mary is received in heaven by the Lord. The right side of the bay is dedicated to The Immaculate Conception.   Mary’s expression is one of total acceptance of the will of God. These two scenes are set in a golden background and we can assume that Erardi, or his commissioner, wanted to give more importance to these two instances in the life of Our Lady. However, if we remember that at the time of the painting the church consisted of five bays only, this third bay was at the centre of the whole scheme. In the centre of this bay is a dove representing the Holy Spirit with heads of putti in the clouds.

The fourth bay is characterised by the presence of the winged Greek goddess Nike, messenger of victory,  standing on a pedestal on each side, with various implements used at war. The figure on the left has a snake at her feet and holds a palm frond and a cornucopia which are both symbols of victory. This one is thought to represent Victory over Land.  The one on the right stands on a ship and holds a palm frond and laurel wreath of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel which represent honour and glory and thus could be interpreted as Victory over the Sea. As with the case of the palm fronds, a laurel wreath also signalled victory in Roman times. Above each of these figures is the coat of arms of Grand Master Perellos, who had commissioned the painting of the vault, surmounted by an open crown. In contrast with these two figures symbolising military power, in the centre of the bay are two putti carrying olive branches which signify peace which is what the Christian Order of the Knights wanted.

In the fifth bay, on the left hand side, is the painting representing the Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple. Mary is shown climbing  the steps of the Temple towards the High Priest with her parents Joachim and Anne behind her. Mary has an innocent look, one of total acceptance and obedience towards the wishes of her parents who wanted to present their child to the temple. This event is not commonly represented in art.

On the right hand side is the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple. This painting suffered from the blast caused by one of the most severe aerial bombardments of World War Two during the night of the 7 April 1942 when the nearby Royal Opera House was destroyed.  The ceiling was blown inward by the blast but, as if my miracle, came to rest without collapsing.   These two representations in the fifth bay are laden with figures in exaggerated full movement, one of the characteristics of Baroque art. In the centre are two putti looking down and a third holding a scroll of which only the letters DAT CIDare visible.

The sixth bay is an extension resulting from the 1752 modifications to the facade. It is pierced by a window on each side above each of which is a winged heraldic coat of arms. On the left is seen Grand Master Pinto’s coat of arms, with its five crescent moons. It was during Pinto’s reign that this extension was carried out. On the right is the image of Grand Master de Valette’s coat of arms. As Alessio Erardi died in 1727 this makes it impossible for him to have executed the paintings on this bay which was possibly carried out by Enrico Regnaud. The top centre is dominated by a rectangular frame within which is the sun with the scroll reading ‘ELECTA UT SOL’ (Bright as the Sun) and the moon with the scroll reading PULCRA UT LUN(Beautiful as the Moon) in obvious reference to the Blessed Virgin. Below these is another scroll reading QUASI AURORA CONSURGES(Ascending Like the Rising Dawn).

Above the central window are the arms of the Bailiff of Mallorca, Gerolomas de Montelieu, who paid for the extension of the church.   The many coats of arms depicted in the ceiling and within the marble altars, were intended to immortalize the memory of those many benefactors who gave life to this church, mainly Grand Masters de Valette, Perellos and Pinto.  The decorative programme is also rich in symbols conveying messages of the Order’s powerful patronage, its military and religious roles. 

Unfortunately the paintings suffered serious decay due to structural displacement and deterioration of masonry blocks and their joints as well as salt-related activity resulting in paint loss. The paintings underwent various previous restoration attempts but the date and range of interventions remain uncertain.  In 1962 it was thought that the paintings were beyond salvation. At the request of the Valletta Rehabilitation Project, the church and its paintings were briefly inspected in November 1999 and a preliminary report was presented by Stephen Rickerby and Lisa Shekede, Senior Wall Painting Conservators from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Being one of the most important buildings on our island for its historic, artistic and spiritual significance, Din l-Art Ħelwa was always concerned by the ever advancing state of deterioration of Victory Church. In 1998 the Valletta Rehabilitation Project laid a new roof membrane to protect the wall paintings of the vault and, following the issue of a tender for their restoration, they commissioned a local restorer to start the work. However, following concern on the methodology being used this restoration was thankfully stopped.

In 2004 while the church was still under the stewardship of the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee, the Courtauld Institute of Art in London started work on the ceiling paintings. Senior Conservators, Stephen Rickerby and Lisa Shekede coordinated a team of experts and almost every winter without fail worked above a temperorary wooden flooring.  In July 2015, in time for Din l-Art Ħelwa’s 50th Anniversary,  this wooden floor was taken down.     The first interventions of consolidation were carried out to secure falling stonework and mortar across the entire ceiling, initially with temporary facings and then by the application of appropriate lime-based grouting and repairs. It is to be remembered that the technique of oil-on-stone painting discovered by Mattia Preti is most effective but leaves an extremely thin paint layer on stone. Preti knew that the Maltese globigerina limestone when soaked in linseed oil could easily be painted with oil-based pigments and such was the technique followed by Erardi. A period of study and research followed during which scientific analysis of salts, paint materials and altering varnishes were carried out by the Courtauld Institute of Art in laboratories in the UK, the USA and the Netherlands. As was expected salt formation had caused the fragile oil-based paint layer to flake off in many parts. These salts had deposited over the paint layer but also crystallised inside and under the paint as well as in the varnish layer. The varnish layer was darkening and becoming acidic and increasingly insoluble. The philosophy adopted by the Courtauld, unlike previous restorations, was to remove the salts and clean the varnish while preserving Erardi’s original painting. The result is that we can today enjoy and appreciate the original early 18th century work of Alessio Erardi and the later Regnaud art. This was finally revealed to the public on the 19 August, 2015 after being hidden over the wooden flooring for more than two decades, in a public launch together with the HSBC Malta Foundation who had made this important restoration possible.

Din l-Art Ħelwa has been instrumental in ensuring that the work on the vault by the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, serves as instruction to aspiring conservators and a full scientific report is held in its offices. The University of Malta’s Department of the Built Environment also studied the later Regnaud segments in its M.Sc course in the Conservation of Decorated Architectural Surfaces under the supervision of Prof. JoAnn Cassar, and Conservator Roberta de Angelis.

On the 9 December 2015 Din l-Art Ħelwa organized a Mass of Thanksgiving with all involved in the complex restoration of this phase of works in the Church of Our Lady of Victory.   An art friendly illumination scheme carefully planned for the ceiling painting was inaugurated by His Grace the Archbishop, Charles Scicluna when he himself switched on the lights and blessed the works.   Din l-Art Ħelwa was also celebrating its 50th anniversary. Din l-Art Ħelwa remains indebted to Martina Caruana and Bernadine Scicluna for ther scholarly research on the artistic and architectural development of the Our Lady of Victory Church and to Stephen Degiorgio for his constant support and information, while the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has continued to encourage the organisation with its advice and direction.

 

The Internal Walls

The year 2016 was characterised by the revealing of the decorative murals on the internal walls of the church and which were overpainted throughout the years. In April 2017, after five years, the inside scaffolding was removed after Giuseppe Mantella Restauri team revealed the decorative scheme of paintings on the entrance wall of the church. 

The church is rich in artefacts which require restoration and so restoration work continues. A book entitled Our Lady of Victory edited by Petra Caruana Dingli was also published.

You can also visit and like our Facebook page Our Lady of Victory Church – Din l-Art Ħelwa.  It is always best to contact our offices for specific visits. Bookings may be made for visits by schools and other groups, as well for private functions. Please contact victorychurch@dinlarthelwa.org