A special exhibition commemorating the feast of Our Lady of Loreto (later referred to as Our Lady of the Niche) will be inaugurated tomorrow, September 3, at the La Stella Band Club in Victoria. The evening will also include an open discussion by a panel of people, some of whom were the organisers of the feast.
At the end of Triq Għajn Qatet, leading to Xewkija, there is an niche dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto. The permit for this niche, commissioned by Mikiel Grima, was granted by Grandmaster Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca in 1769, together with another niche in St George’s Square, also dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto. There is no exact date documenting the date when the feast originated, however, in the mid-1960s, Gozitan artist Wistin Camilleri was commissioned to work on a new statue of Our Lady of Loreto to be carried during the procession. The paper mache statue, representing Our Lady with Baby Jesus on her lap, sitting on a dwelling, cost €20.96.
The first procession with the statue was held in 1968. It was led by the Prekursur Band of Xewkija. Over the years, band clubs from all over the island participated in this feast, including La Stella Band Club (Victoria), Mnarja Band Club (Nadur), Victory Band Club (Xagħra) and St Joseph Band Club (Għajnsielem). Normally, the feast was celebrated on the Sunday either before or after August 15. On the eve of the feast, a band march would take place around the streets of Taċ-Ċawla. On the day of the feast, an open air mass close to the niche was celebrated, followed by the procession with the statue of Our Lady, with the participation of the confraternity and bands.
Also on display are documents related to the feast which was last celebrated in 1984.Two hymns, dedicated to Our Lady of the Niche were played during the procession. One, entitled Lil Madonna ta’ Loreto was written by Mro Joseph Bezzina in 1975, while the other, Minn ġo d-dwejra, was written by former bandmaster of La Stella Band Anglu Pace. Both hymns had the same lyrics by Fr Edmund Tewma. Ground fireworks were also let off. Children riding bikes took part in various races held along Għajn Qatet street.
In 1981, Michael Camilleri Cauchi restored the statue and designed a new pedestal for it. In 1982, the restored statue was displayed for the first time at the newly-built Good Shepherd church where all feast-related celebrations were held, including the procession. For the following two years, the feast was held outdoors as before, with the final celebration taking place in 1984, when the statue and all feast decorations were stored in a private residence.
On display at the La Stella Band Club in Victoria will be the processional statue of Our Lady, along with other rare artefacts including police permits, photographs, feast programmes, fireworks and bands receipts and street decorations. The inauguration of the exhibition will be held at 8pm. During the inauguration, the La Stella Band will be performing both hymns dedicated to Our Lady of the Niche. The exhibition will run until September 9. Entrance is free.