Description
Our Lady of Victory is the oldest church in Valletta and its roots go back to the end of the Great Siege of 1565.
The Grand Master at the time, Jean Parisot de Valette, laid the foundation stone for the new capital city which bore the Grand Master’s name in 1566 on Mount Sceberras, the peninsula which had played such a decisive role in the siege, overseeing both Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Creek.
The church was an important venue for the Knights of the Order of St John and eventually for the British Roman Catholic community. However, the World War II bomb that destroyed the neighbouring Opera House shook its ceiling leaving it prone to the elements. Post-war years saw the further decline of the church.
Various restoration projects have been undertaken in the past 20 years by Din l-Art Ħelwa, with the help of numerous individual and corporate sponsorships, the last 12 of which were under the watchful eye of former DLH president Simone Mizzi, who is currently the church’s warden as well as the NGO’s secretary general.
The beautifully illustrated hardback was edited by DLĦ council member Petra Caruana Dingli and looks at its history and architecture, its art and artefacts, and of course the various restoration projects carried out over the past 20 years, illustrated by photos taken by Daniel Cilia.
