Heritage victim of pique

An article about the world-famous Cologne cathedral appeared on Times of Malta on September 19. I had visited that famous edifice a number of times and always marvelled at its beauty.

One thing the article did not mention was the grand action by the allies in safeguarding the cathedral during World War II. The edifice is built on a mound overlooking a valley, which houses an important railway station. That station was vital to the Germans and the allies wanted to destroy it and put it out of action, but there was the danger of causing damage to the cathedral. All pilots were given strict instructions on how to approach the station to avoid any accidental damage.

Luckily, the cathedral survived and its beauty is still there to be enjoyed by the millions of visitors. Unfortunately, this was not the case in Malta when the Italian air force, specifically, targeted certain points of national importance.

I shall mention three particular spots that I remember well from my childhood. The Italian radio used to boast that it had confidential information from Malta, probably some diehards or “traitors” that had wanted Malta to be subservient to the Italians. In our sheltered dugouts, there was a radio that, at news time, was tuned to the Italian channel. As our home was trilingual, I could understand Italian perfectly.

The opera house in 1911.

The three most important features were the Floriana church, St John’s cathedral and the Royal Opera House.

The Italians used to boast that Malta’s major cathedral had been heavily damaged, which was not the case. This was actually a reference to the Floriana church, which certain factions in Valletta had a grudge against.

Eventually they became aware of their mistake and tried to bomb St John’s but only damaged a small part of the sacristy.

The opera house was a target as the Italians felt they had a monopoly on all opera theatres. The Malta theatre was designed by E. M. Barry, a member of a famous family that had designed theatres all the world over. Any country with a Barry theatre is proud of its heritage but, in Malta, the Italian faction absolutely did not want a British design, even though it was grand and renowned.

When will a Maltese government recreate the Barry edifice? Many years ago, I had an offer from a German group to rebuild the theatre but the prime minister of the time absolutely refused to accept that offer. Instead, the remaining surviving parts were also dismantled and disappeared.

This is Malta, where our heritage is victim to pique and hatred.

Frans Said – St Paul’s Bay