The history leading up to the coronation of the titular statue of Xagħra’s parish church on September 2, 1973, is a chequered one. The village’s inhabitants had long wanted the painted image of the Bambina (the Nativity of Our Lady) on the titular painting to be crowned. In fact, restorations of the painting canvas in 1955 and again in 2010 had shown a series of perforations around the Bambina’s head, bearing witness to the presence of jewellery adornment around it.

The silver crown and underlying wooden support of the 1751 mannequin statue still extant at the Xagħra parish archives.

This decoration already existed before 1740, at the time when the painting enjoyed devotion in Malta, probably in Senglea, from where it was eventually brought over to Xagħra, and had its edges folded behind a wooden support frame made to fit its new space at Xagħra parish church. Moreover, the people of Xagħra were already aware of the historical tradition of the parish having a crowned mannequin titular statue of the Bambina brought over from the parish of Senglea in 1751, and whose silvery garments had been appropriated by French soldiers in 1798.

The first public plea for the crowning of the painted image of the Bambina was made by Carmelo Refalo, president of the Victory Philharmonic Society, on June 5, 1955, during an address to Gozo Bishop Joseph Pace at a ceremony to bless new musical instruments for Xagħra’s Victory band.

Despite the fact that the bishop welcomed the plea, it took a further 18 years for the dream to come to fruition. It is thought this procrastination by the Gozo ecclesiastical authorities was due to a desire to have the painting of the Assumption Mary of the Gozo cathedral crowned prior to that of Xagħra; however, the former took place in 1975.

An early picture of the titular statue of the Bambina.

In 1972, Fr Nicholas Joseph Cauchi was elected as the new bishop of the Gozo diocese. In the meantime, the Xagħra parish was planning a commemorative programme to be held in 1973 to mark the 100th anniversary of when it was thought that the titular statue of the Bambina had been brought over from Marseille. Hence the idea began to gain ground that this would be an excellent opportunity to crown the painted image of the Bambina of the titular painting.

However, Mgr Cauchi was of the view that the titular statue should be crowned instead. Coincidentally, a similar idea was already circulating among some Xagħra parishioners who continued to favourably push for the crowning of the titular statue to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the statue’s arrival.

On November 21, 1972, an almost year-long programme of activities was kicked off, which would reach its culmination with the crowning of the titular statue. A pontifical mass was held at the Xagħra basilica led by the Gozo bishop, during which he appealed for a year of spiritual revival among the parishioners as preparation for the solemn crowning ceremony. A number of conferences were organised for various categories of the Xagħra inhabitants and chaired by specialised invited speakers. Even the usual yearly religious festivities were organised on a grander scale.

The organisation was entrusted to an ad hoc committee, which included 14 subcommittees responsible for the different aspects that the extraordinary occasion of the coronation ceremony would entail. The ad hoc committee was headed by Lawrence Camilleri as president, Can Fr Eucharist Sultana as secretary and Can Fr Benjamin Attard as treasurer.

One of the subcommittees was responsible for the commissioning of the design and execution of the crown. The idea of collecting gold from among the parishioners to be melted down and making the crown out of it found favourable ground in the beginning, to the extent that four kilogrammes of gold were collected, together with a hefty sum of money. However, there were doubts regarding the right technical procedure to use the melted gold pieces and concerns were raised as to the inconsistency of carat levels inherent in them. Hence, the collected gold pieces were sold off to the public and the money was deposited in a fund to cover the expenses to make the crown.

The collected gold pieces were sold off to the public and the money was deposited in a fund to cover the expenses to make the crown

A national competition was organised for the best design of the crown. A panel of three art experts was set up, consisting of Fr Marius Zerafa as chairperson and assisted by museum director Frans Mallia and the artist painter Paul Camilleri Cauchi. The selected design, submitted under the nom-de-plume ‘Anne and Gioachim’, was made by the Gozitan artist decorator Joseph Sagona.

The goldsmith Tarcisio Cassar, from Żejtun, was entrusted with the execution of the crown and the installation equipment on the statue’s head. The 18cm-diameter by 20.5cm-high crown was made of 22-carat gold encrusted with different types of jewels and pearls.

The golden crown.

In the meantime, Xagħra parish priest Mgr Michael Angelo Cauchi passed away on July 30, 1973, and Can Fr Benjamin Attard was appointed as the economy vicar in charge until a parish priest was appointed.

The crowning ceremony took place on September 2, 1973. In the morning, a high mass was concelebrated at the basilica, led by Gozo Bishop Mgr Cauchi. A public deed was drawn up by notary Antonio Galea and signed by Lawrence Camilleri, Can Fr Benjamin Attard, Angelo Cassar, and Nazzareno Refalo, by which the crown was passed over in ownership to the church in perpetuity and trusted with its display on the Bambina’s head all year round.

A close image of the crowned Bambina.

The crowning ceremony took place at 5.30pm in the main square. A raised platform was erected. Civil and ecclesiastical dignitaries, including the Malta Governor Sir Anthony Mamo, and the Archbishop of Caserta, Naples, Mgr Vito Roberti, were also present, together with members of parliament and of the clergy. At the beginning of the procession, the crown was carried on a red velvet cushion by Xagħra-born Chief Justice Prof. John Joseph Cremona, flanked by two policemen, followed by the Xagħra clerics and the statue.

The statue was placed on the platform, with all of the dignitaries seated on both sides of the platform. A religious rite was presided over by the Gozo bishop, who subsequently blessed the crown and proceeded to crown the Bambina. The crowd present in the packed square burst into unabated applause, and dignitaries paid homage to Bambina by kissing her hands.

The dignitaries seated on the raised platform.

The crowd gathered at Xagħra’s main square.

After the ceremony ended, the crowned statue was carried shoulder-high back to the basilica accompanied by the Victory band playing religious marches. The crowning of the village patron saint remained an indelible mark in the memories of people who still vividly remember the day. To this day, Xagħra village still commemorates September 2 each year with pomp and devotion.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Joseph Camilleri of Victory Photo Studio, Xagħra, Family Farrugia, Can Fr Eucharist Sultana, Noel Vella and the Xagħra Parish Archives.