The Crowning of the Virgin Mother

Rev Can Dun Anton Mallia

The parishioners of Birkirkara in the island of Malta will celebrate the first centenary of the solemn crowning of the devout image of the Virgin Mother with Child, venerated in its holy Sanctuary, known all over the Maltese Islands as TalĦerba. The crowning with two solid gold crowns took place on the 7th August 1910, after a Pontifical High Mass concelebrated by His Grace the Diocesan Archbishop Peter Paul Pace and His Grace Fra Giovanni Camilleri, Bishop of the sister island of Gozo. This special concession was approved by the Authorities of the Roman Chapter, at the request of the Very Rev. Helenian Chapter and fully accepted by the local ecclesiastic authorities.

Once on land, they learned that the island was called Malta (Acts, Chapter 28, 1). The natives were very friendly. They gave the surviving passengers shelter and all they needed in those circumstances.

They had witnessed Paul’s survival when attacked by a snake hidden in the wood thrown in the bonfire, and saw him heal the sick on the island. Although ignorant of the Latin and Greek languages, the alleged barbarians understood Paul’s teachings, certainly enjoying Christ’s promised privilege of the gift of tongues. Luke doesn’t give any details of Paul’s teachings, but it is fair to assume that he would have referred to the divine person of Christ “born of a woman in the fullness of time”

These events point to the presence of a Marian cult in the Maltese Islands dating back to the time St Paul was shipwrecked in Malta. Further evidence are the many chapels, sculptures and paintings found all over the islands, including the rural areas. One particular affresco is found on the ceiling of Mellieha Sanctuary, this chapel being quite close to the seaside. The Conciliar Bishops returning from Efesus to their respective dioceses, stopped here and venerated Our Lady declared as Teotokos, meaning the Divine Christ assuming human body in Mary’s womb. For several centuries Malta was dominated by the Romans, the Moslems and the Arabs, and several of these small chapels or shrines would have been destroyed, abandoned or completely destroyed during these foreign dominations.

After the coming of Count Roger of Altavilla in 1090, Christianity in Malta regained a sense of freedom of worship. Several chapels in ruins were reconstructed, others were built. Among those restored was the chapel of Our Lady commonly referred to as TalĦerba (ħerba meaning ruins). Several interpretations are given in relation to this name. One says that it was either rebuilt from being completely in ruins, or that it was built on a very uncultivated site.

This Marian sanctuary was consecrated on the 23rd March 1797 by Bishop Fra Vincenzo Labini (1780-1870). According to the liturgical norms, in the mensa of the main altar the celebrant put the sealed relics of the martyrs Vincenzo, Urbano, Innocenzo and Fausto. At that time the aisle was about six meters long with a vaulted ceiling. The original altarpiece, at now kept over a marble altar in the adjoining hall on the right, shows the image of our Lady with Child flanked by St Joseph and a Knight, one on each side, and in the centre the holy souls in purgatory. The coat of arms of Chevalier De Pierre and his image in a kneeling posture are also included. The current altarpiece dates back to 1688-1689 and is kept over a marble altar with the turris eucharistica. The image depicts Our Lady with a child in her hands over a cloud. On her right is St John the Baptist, Patron Saint of the Order; on her left, the image of an angel holding a child by his hands pointing at the Madonna; and in the middle, the images of holy saints imploring the intercession of the Madonna.

Devotion to Our Lady of Tal-Ħerba increased over the years; sick people kept an image of the Madonna in their homes and those parishioners who during the last century emigrated to the United States, to Australia and elsewhere (Morocco, Tunisia and Corfu’) carried with them the devotion for the Madonna tal-Ħerba.. One must add those who found themselves at the mercy of terrible waves while sailing as passengers, the fishermen at work, the sailors in battle during World War II; as well as those struck by incurable diseases, visitors to foreign lands finding themselves in trouble or in peril for their lives, and the many who found refuge in Birkirkara during the second world. The earnest prayer of St Bernard, commonly known as the Memorare, readily comes to mind.

These ex voti are an tangible recognition of the many graces obtained though the intercession of Our Lady. They are testimony of what the Madonna has done to those who called her for help. Originally, these consisted of painted frames once hung on the walls of the sanctuary. Some of them are very old, making it difficult to identify the people and the graces received. The initials VFGA, meaning the vow made and the privilege granted, appear with some exceptions in all of them. Some ex voti, including ropes, chains, walking aids, etc can be seen in a special hall, built by Abraham Schembri in the middle of the last century (1955), where the adjoining yard used to be, so common in sanctuaries elsewhere. There is also a church tower or belfry with small bells calling the faithful for the religious services.

Temple Chosen by Mary and Sanctified by God

The Birkirkara Chapter used to celebrate the annual feast of the Nativity of Our Lady on the first Sunday in August, singing Vespers, followed by a sermon and the blessing by the Holy Sacrament. In this sanctuary one finds the relics of Santa Vittorja Martri. These are cast in an artistic statuary and venerated in September. There is also a statue of San Speditu. The feasts of both saints are celebrated every year Holy Mass is celebrated at the sanctuary on weekdays and on Sundays. Up to some years ago, on Easter Monday the Birkirkara Chapter used to come to Tal-Ħerba in procession in thanksgiving for the Basilica being spared complete destruction in 1942, when an enemy time bomb fell in near by St Roque Street, killing several people when it exploded on 31st July. A marble plaque with the names of the victims is fixed on the outward wall of St Roque’s church, to which church the tattered bodies of the victims were taken before burial.

The Procurator pro tempore, Dean Canon Vincent Saliba, requested the approval of the Birkirkara Chapter to remove the main marble altar to the back space of the choir, a foot away from the altarpiece, and replace it with a new marble altare mensa. The Ecclesiastic Diocesan Art Commission approved the project on the 7th July 1990, requiring that the white marble of the mensa be supported on four marble - rosso di Verona – columns, and a Marian emblem be engraved at the base. Saliba’s successor as dean of the Chapter was the benefactor and his coat of arms was engraved on a lateral side of its base by marble artist Ronnie Pisani of Sliema. After Saliba’s death, the Chapter chose my colleague Can Paul Gauci to succeed him as Procurator of the Tal-Ħerba Sanctuary. The temple was in dire need of updating and maintenance works such as the cleaning of the beautiful sculptured doorposts, the replacing of the Via Crucis, the replacing of the silver door of the turris eucharistica on the main altar (entrusted to craftsman Cutajar from Hamrun), the cleaning of the dome’s decorations and paintings, as well as the covering with marble rosso di Verona of the main pillars of the Sanctuary. It is a credit to the initiative and hard work put in by Can Gauci (Dun Pawl) that all this was realized over the period 1992 to 1993. In this he had the help and encouragement of several benefactors. Also deserving special mention for their work are Emmanuel Muscat, artist Joseph Briffa’s assistant, Anthony Aquilina and Emmanuel Borg. For several years Dun Pawl celebrated the 6.30am daily mass It is also to Gauci’s credit that, with the Chapter’s approval, that wooden seat and ambone used during mass were replaced with marble ones designed by the above-named Ronnie Pisani. At his (Dun Pawl’s) insistence the green mosaic steps leading to the entrance of the main door were also replaced with marble steps designed Pisani. Access to disabled persons and the elderly was also made available. A large parvis still serves for several functions, where mass is celebrated on certain special occasions such as in the feast of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine. A white marble plaque Can Gauci placed at the entrance to the sanctuary invites visitors to recite a short prayer, which translated from Latin reads,“ O Blessed Mother, teach me to love Jesus as you loved him”

The paintings at Tal-Ħerba are the work of Birkirkara born artist Prof Joseph Briffa (1901-1987). They were executed over almost a quarter of a century (1928 – 1959). It seems that some of the themes matured in the artist’s mind during the second war. They are all purely marian - Mary being the associate protagonist in the history of salvation (The former title of co-redemptrix is no longer common, because theologically Christ is the only Redeemer). Included is Briffa’s imagination of the solemn crowning of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Trinity. Briffa had previously painted in 1926 the two works decorating the lateral walls of the choir. These represent the Nativity of the Madonna and her Presentation at the temple by her parents, saints Joachim and Anna. The marble background of these large frames was put in place during the time Can Gauci was Procurator. The Church was nicknamed by Pope Karol Wojtyla as the cultorum altrix, or the cradle of culture. Briffa seems to have had a deep knowledge of the Scripture. In fact, when selecting the topic of the dome’s paintings, he chose our Lady’s prototypes namely Queen Esther , Deborah, Sarah, Judith, Ruth, Rebecca, Joel and Abigael. The aisle paintings took place in 1956. The theme of the first section in the aisle is the Annunciation, where Our Lady is drawn recollected in prayer before being visited by Archangel Gabriel and pronouncing her fiat: be it done according to your message. The second section is Christ’s presentation at the temple by his parents to Prophet Simeon in the presence of the elderly prophetess Anna. The other paintings of the transepts are the Pentecost theme, where our Lady was present with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit descended on them, and the official beginning of the Church’s mission took place. The opposite ceiling painting, completed in 1959, is the finding of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple, discussing with the learned men, after going missing for three days. As an old boy at the Oratory, Briffa was taught the mysteries of the Rosary. Indeed, Our Lady visiting her cousin after her rather long voyage to Ain Karem, and her betrothal to Joseph, a descendant of King David, are the themes Briffa chose for painting the altarpieces of the marble lateral altars.

28th June 2009

- Caruana, P. Anastasio O C: “Is-Santwarju u x-Xbiha Nkurunata ta’ Marija SS.ma tal-Ħerba” by Ebejer