Gozo News

Gozo will mark Malta’s two victories – in 1565 and 1943 – with a ceremony in Xaghra’s main square on Wednesday 7 September.

A High Mass will be celebrated at Xaghra Cathedral at 8:30am, presided over by Archbishop Emeritus Mons Paul Cremona.

After the mass, from 10am, the event will move to the outdoor square where the Xaghra Historical Reenactment Group will reenact scenes from the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Black Death in 1814 and the Second World War in 1943 with the participation of local people.

The scene includes the triumphal entry of Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette and Captain of the Order of St John, accompanied by knights and Maltese soldiers.

The Master of the Order read out the proclamations of the Grand Master of the Order, Jean Parisot de la Valette.

One version of the story is that in 1565, the Knights and the Maltese defeated the invading army after a five-month siege, and the Grand Master declared that September 8th of each year would be commemorated as Victory Day.

Another netizen said that this day is to commemorate Our Lady of Victory.

The Malta Police Band will perform, as will the Malta Armed Forces Guard of Honour.

At the end of the ceremony, a wreath will be laid at the temporary Great Siege Monument in Victory Square, followed by the singing of the national anthem.

The commemoration was organised by the Xaghra Diocese in conjunction with the Gozo Planning Department’s National and Regional Celebrations Committee and Xaghra Local Council.

September 8, 1565 marks the 459th anniversary of the end of the Great Siege of Malta; the epic battle of 1565 that made a small island resist an imperial invasion against all odds and became legendary.

The Great Siege of Malta began in May 1565, when the Ottoman Empire began its invasion of Malta, which was then occupied by the Knights of St. John.

After months of continuous fighting and bloodshed, the siege ended on September 8, a day still commemorated annually as the public holiday of Victory Day (Il-Vitorja).

It also marks the end of the French occupation of Malta in 1800 and, coincidentally, the armistice against Italy’s Fascist regime in 1943.

In 1943, the Italian connection to Malta had a double meaning: the bombing of the ‘Aeronautica’ had ended and the Italian Navy was brought to Malta and remained anchored in St. Paul’s Bay until the end of the war.

2023 Event Photos: MGP