Vittoriosa

Vittoriosa, or Birgu in Maltese, is an old fortified city on the Southern side of the Grand Harbour. It occupies a promontory of land and has Fort St. Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base. Over time, Vittoriosa has developed a very long history and was one of the main cities and the centre of several military, maritime and mercantile activities throughout the years.

Vittoriosa is one of the oldest cities in Malta, in fact its origins go back to medieval times. Before the building of Valletta as Malta’s capital city, military powers that wanted to rule the Maltese archipelago, needed to obtain control of Vittoriosa, due to its strategic position in the Grand Harbour. In fact, the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Aragonese all played a part in developing the city. Vittoriosa is also well known for its vital role in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565, during which it served as the base of the Knights of the Order of St John and Malta’s capital city. After this great victory, the Knights built a new capital city bearing the name Valletta. They transferred their convent and seat to the new capital and Birgu was given the title Citta’ Vittoriosa- Italian for Victorious City.

This city is now home to several tourist attractions, most important of which is Fort St. Angelo, which served as the headquarters of La Valette during the Great Siege. This has now been restored and is open to the public. Another very interesting attraction is the Inquisitor’s Palace. This was built in the 1530’s and served as the law courts and later the tribunal and prison of the Inquisition. It is now possible to tour the palace and visit the former prison cells and torture chamber.

St. Lawrence’s church is one of several churches in Vittoriosa. It was once the conventual church of the Order of St. John. Other churches in the locality include the Monastery of St. Scholastica and the Our Lady of Annunciation Church. Vittoriosa also contains five Auberges of the Knights. The historic Vittoriosa Waterfront, which was refurbished in the early 2000’s, contains the former Palace of the General of the Galleys and the Order of St. John’s treasury. The former is now a casino while the latter houses the Malta Maritime Museum, which is surely an attraction well worth a visit.