Victoria

About Victoria

Victoria, also known among the native gozitins as rabat which is the name of the old town centre or by its title citta victoria, is an administrative unit of malta, the largest and most prominent city of gozo. Victoria has a total population of around 6,901 and by
population, is the largest locality in gozo.

The area around the town, situated on a hill near the centre of the island, has beensettled since neolithic times. Victoria is the name given on 10 june 1887 by the british government on the occasion of queen victoria's golden jubilee, at the request of pietro monsignor pace, bishop of gozo monsignor pace later became sir pietro monsignor pace, titular archbishop of rhodes and bishop of malta. However gozitans, still refer to it by the name rabat. It is usually known as rabat, gozo to distinguish it from the town of rabat on the main island of malta. In the centre of victoria, you can find a fortress called cittadella or citadel (english). In victoria, you can also find st. George's basilica and the beautiful garden of villa rundle. In victoria, you can witness two different feasts as half of victoria celebrates the feast of saint mary whilst the other half celebrates the feast of saint george.

ic-Cittadella

The cittadella formerly known as il castello, which has been the centre of activity of the island since possibly neolithic times, but is known to be first fortified during the bronze age c. 1500bc. It was later developed by the phoenicians and continued into becoming a complex acropolis by roman times. The north side of the citadel dates back to the aragonese domination period. The south flank, overlooking victoria, was re-constructed under the knights of st. John, namely between 1599 and 1603 after ottomans invaded the city in 1551. The massive defensive stone walls of the fortifications rise above the town and were built by the knights to protect the village communities from foraging corsairs attempting to take slaves and threatened invasion of moslem forces fighting christendom. Within its walls lies a fine 17th-century baroque cathedral designed by lorenzo gafa, the maltese architect who also built the cathedral of mdina. It is said thatit lies on the site where a roman temple dedicated to the goddess juno once stood. It is most famous for the remarkable painting on its ceiling, which depicts the interior of a dome that was never built. Inside the cathedral, you can see the statue of saint mary(santa marija).

St George's Basilica 

It is a parish church dedicated to st george has the status of a basilica. This church was built in the 1670s and suffered severe damage in the earthquake of 1693. A new facade was built in 1818. The dome and the aisles are of recent construction between the 1930s and the 1940s. There are several works of art in this church which include the painting of the dome and ceiling by gian battista conti of rome and other paintings and sculptures by mattia preti, giuseppe d'alene, stefano erardi, alessio erardi, francesco V. Zahra, giuseppe cali, and contemporary alfred camilleri cauchi and john l. Grima.

The titular statue of st george was carved from solid wood by pietro paolo azzopardi in 1838 and is the first titular statue on the island. The area over which the church is built is of considerable archaeological interest. The parish celebrates two feasts during the year: 23 april, the official date celebrating the death of the martyr, and the third sunday of july, when the solemn festivities in honour of gozo's patron saints are held. In february 2013, the basilica opened the doors to its new modern museum, one of a kind in the country. It is the first building built for the purpose of a museum. The museum and cultural centre, named heart of gozo: il-hagar, displays a rich collection of historical and artistic artefacts previously inaccessible to the general public. The museum is found on the left side of the basilica.

Villa Rundle Gardens

these gardens are situated between republic street and the main car park in victoria. One can see in these gardens a bronze bust of the gozitan 18th-century historian and grammarian can. Giovanni pietro francesco agius de soldanis and another of gozo born french poet and writer laurent ropa. One can also find a memorial commemorating the invasion of gozo by ottomans in 1551.