JOSEPH BEZZINA CITTÀ VICTORIA ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE YEARS A CITY FROM THE DEPOSITS AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES EXHIBITION CATALOGUE CITTÀ VICTORIA 12 1 • A sample of documents of the history of Gozo from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, Gozo 1989. 2 • A sample of documents of the history of Gozo from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, Gozo 1994. 3 • The Region of Gozo – Ir-Reġjonalità ta' G]awdex, Gozo 2004. 4 • Gozo, a historical glimpse, Gozo 2005. 5 • Saverio Cassar (1805–2005), Gozo 2005. 6 • Religious aspects of life in Gozo, Gozo 2006. 7 • The Citadel – the crown of Gozo, Gozo 2007. 8 • The coastal defences of Gozo, Gozo 2008. 9 • Herbs, health, and hospitals of Gozo past, Gozo 2009. 10 • Gozo domestic architecture – a dwindling heritage, Gozo 2010. 11 • Fiftieth anniversary from the foundation of the Gozo Civic Council, Gozo 2011. 12 Città Victoria – one hundred twenty five years a city, Gozo 2012. 12 • DR JOSEPH BEZZINA, Assistant National Archivist, wishes to thank Charles J. Farrugia, the National Archivist; to Joseph Amodio, Assistant Archivist; to MaryAnn Curmi and Francesco-Pio Attard, Archives Assistants at the National Archives (Gozo); to John Cremona, Ministry for Gozo, and to Dr Samuel Azzopardi, Mayor of Victoria; Odette Camilleri, Victoria Local Council, for their dedication and help. • Thanks are also due to Ms Patricia Attard, Principal, and to all the staff at the Public Library, Gozo – with which the National Archives shares the premises – for their collaboration throughout the whole year. • A word of appreciation is due above all to Mr Paul Curmi, Area Manager, HSBC • Gozo, whose support and sponsorship made possible the publication of this catalogue. JOSEPH BEZZINA CITTÀ VICTORIA ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE YEARS A CITY FROM THE DEPOSITS AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ▪▪▪ IL-BELT VICTORIA MIJA U }AMSA U G}OXRIN SENA BELT MID-DEPOŻITI FL-ARKIVJU NAZZJONALI CATALOGUE OF AN EXHIBITION HELD ON THE OCCASION OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRANTING OF THE TITLE OF CITY (1887-2012) AND THE TWENTY THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES GOZO SECTION (1989-2012) OPENED BY SAMUEL AZZOPARDI MAYOR OF VICTORIA 8 JUNE 2012 CITTÀ VICTORIA NAG • The National Archives (Gozo section) The NAG – the National Archives (Gozo Section) – serves as the deposit for the records produced or received by Government entities in Gozo in the transaction of their affairs. It is housed in a purposely built hall adjacent to the Public Library of Gozo. The ball was set rolling on 1 August 1989, when the Ministry for Gozo engaged Joseph Bezzina, an archivist by profession, to set up the archives. The first documents to be moved in were the registers of the former Universitas Gaudisii – a regional government founded around 1350 to manage the island and defend local interests. Only 260 registers, dating from 1560 to its suppression in 1818, are still preserved. The NAG was officially inaugurated on 24 November 1989 – twenty three years ago – by Dr Ugo Mifsud-Bonnici, then Minister of Education, and Anton Tabone, then Minister for Gozo. This was over two months before the Malta Parliament, on 30 January 1990, enacted the Act to regulate the National Archives. The NAG was conceived as the public record office for the documentation produced and received by past and present Government departments and establishments in the islands of Gozo and Comino. In 1991, the Staff Development Organisation of the Office of the Prime Minister clearly laid down that “Records originated by the Ministry for Gozo, Gozo sections of government departments, and by public bodies established for Gozo should be deposited at the Gozo Section of the National Archives which has been set up adjoining the Gozo Public Library” (Circular OPM/E/82/83 [July 1991]). The NAG has twenty-seven different FONDS, deposits coming from an equal number of entities. Each fond is divided into as many SECTIONS as is deemed necessary to reflect the various responsibilities or activities of the entity. It is possible that a particular single office produced records related to ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE YEARS A CITY various activities. In that case each activity is considered a separate section and numbered accordingly to avoid the splitting of sections into sub-sections. Every single ITEM in each section is given a consecutive number. The fonds in the alphabetical order of the cataloguing code with the period covered are the following: AG National Archives (Gozo Section) 1989+ CA Civil Abattoir 1891–1986 CC Civic Council 1959–1973 CG Curia Gubernatorali (Courts of Law) 1609+ CI Charitable Institutions 1859–1947 CP Circulars and Posters 1814+ DF Documentaries and Films 1988+ GB Malta Government Savings Bank 1853–1978 GG Gozo General 1987+ GL Gurdan Lighthouse 1877–1981 GM Ġuljana Masini 1554 – 1930 HI Hospitals and other Institutions 1841+ IR Inland Revenue 1903+ LC Local Councils 1993+ MG Ministry for Gozo 1987+ MH Medical and Health Department 1875–1970 MP Monte di Pietà 1817–1979 PA Photographs. Albums 1945+ PD Police Departments 1889+ PM Plans and maps 1860+ PO Passport Office 1988+ PW Public Works 1840+ SG Secretariat to the Government 1803+ SN Street naming 1987+ SS State Schools 1845+ ST Statistics 1667+ UG Universitas Gaudisii 1560–1819 ZM Miscellanea 1575+ Records are catalogued in a four-level system – a system that most clearly reflects the workings of each entity. Level 1 is the depository (NAG); level 2, the fond or entity (UG); level 3, the section (section 1 in this fond or entity, being Acta et Negotia); and level 4, the single item (for example, volume 1). CITTÀ VICTORIA MIJA U }AMSA U G}OXRIN SENA ILU IR-RABAT SAR IL-BELT VICTORIA Is-sena 1887 tibqa' mfakkra g]al dejjem fl-istorja glorjuża tal- Imperu Ingliż. It-Tlieta 21 ta' Ġunju ta' dik is-sena ]abat g]eluq il- ]amsin sena minn meta r-Reġina Victoria telg]et fuq it-tron tar- Renju Unit u tal-Imperu Ingliż, dik il-]abta l-ikbar wie]ed u l-iktar mifrux fuq wiċċ din l-art. Dan il-fatt deher ċar matul il-festi kbar li saru Londra biex ifakkru dan il-Ġublew tad-Deheb. }adu sehem fihom il-Kapijiet tad-Dominji Ingliżi li kienu bdew imexxu g]al rashom u l- Gvernaturi tal-Kolonji; ir-Rajajiet Indjani, il-Mandarini ta' Burma, il-Kapijiet taż-Żulu, u l-Irjus tat-Tribujiet Afrikani. Kienu kważi kważi rappreżentati n-nies ta' kull ġens u ta' kull kulur li jg]ammru f'din id-dinja. Minn Malta marru l-Gvernatur, il- Ġeneral Sir Lintorn Arabin-Simmons, u persuni distinti o]ra. Il-festi tal-Ġublew f'Malta saru nhar l-24 ta' Mejju, jum g]eluq snin ir-Reġina Victoria. F'G]awdax saru l-}add ta' wara, nhar id- 29 ta' Mejju. Il-President tas-sotto-kumitat tal-festi f'G]awdex kien is-Sur Pawl Trapani. Iċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet ]adu l-jum kollu. Filg]odu, fil-Knisja Katidrali, l-Eċċellenza Tieg]u Monsinjur Pietru Pace, Isqof ta' G]awdex, intona Te Deum solenni u talab lis- Sinjur Alla ]alli jag]ti l-g]ajnuna speċjali tieg]u lill-Maestà Tag]ha u lill-Familja Rjali. Attendew g]al din iċ-ċerimonja l- Gvernatur, l-awtoritajiet ċivili u militari tal-gżira, u g]add kbir ta' nies. Waranofsinhar folol o]ra ta' nies inġabru fi Triq it-Tiġrija, ir- Rabat, biex jaraw it-tiġrijiet tal-]mir u ż-żwiemel. Kien hemm numru kbir ta' koros g]ax il-paljijiet u l-flus offruti kienu ]afna. Iktar tard filg]axija, iż-żewġ baned ta' G]awdex, Il Leone u La Stella Vincitrice, g]amlu marċi brijużi u programm ta' mużika klassika fi Pjazza Rjali, it-Tokk. Il-bini pubbliku u l-knejjes kienu inċanati bit-tazzi taż-żejt ipetptu. Il-festi tal-Ġublew ġew fit- tmiem b'ġigġifogu l-ġmiel tieg]u. Il-Kumitat tal-Festi f'Malta kien ]aseb li b'tifkira tal-Ġublew jag]mlu monument lir-Reġina Victoria fi Pjazza l-Belt. B]alma dejjem jiġri, il-kumitat ma ]aseb xejn fil-gżira ta' G]awdex. Iżda ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE YEARS A CITY dik il-]abta, G]awdex kellu tnejn min-nies li qatt ma kienu jehdew g]al mument wie]ed biss ja]dmu biex iġibuh dejjem iktar 'il quddiem. Kien bil-]idma ta' Dun Pietru Pace u ta' Sir Adrian Dingli li nhar is-16 ta' Settembru 1864, il-Papa Piju IX, permezz tal-Bolla Singulari Amore, qata' lil G]awdex djoċesi g]alih. Fl-1887, tal-ewwel kien l-Isqof ta' G]awdex, it-tieni kien il- Prim Im]allef u l-President tal-Qorti tal-Appell. Wara li tkellmu bejniethom, qatg]uha li anki f'G]awdax kellha ssir tifkira dejjiema tal-Ġublew. Fis g]alhekk kitbu petizzjoni ]alli ċ- Ċittadella mar-Rabat jiġu dikjarati Belt, u l-isem tar-Rabat isir “Il- Belt Victoria”. Il-petizzjoni ġiet imdawra fost l-og]la nies tal- gżira g]all-approvazzjoni tag]hom, u nhar id-19 ta' Marzu 1887, l-Isqof bag]atha lill-Gvernatur bi tmienja u sittin firma mehmuża. F'ittra o]ra, l-Isqof semma erba' raġunijiet l-g]ala t-talba kellha tkun milqug]a. Dan kellu jsir l-ewwel nett b'tifkira dejjiema tal-Ġublew; it-tieni, biex tissa]]a] l-im]abba u l-istima tal-G]awdxin lejn ir-Reġina; it-tielet, g]ax kienet drawwa qadima li reġjun bil-Katidral tieg]u, jiġifieri Sede Veskovili, jing]ata dan il-ġie]; u fl-a]]ar, g]ax is-subborg tar-Rabat kien jixraqlu dan it- titlu.