SENGLEA THROUGH THE AGES 7 & 8

Our Lady saves Senglea from the plague of 1814

        Everyone knows the disaster which befell Senglea during the plague of 1676. So when our islands were again hit by plague in 1813-1814, the people of Senglea prayed a lot to God and to Our Lady so that our city could be spared. One of the vows made was that if Senglea was spared, the statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer would be taken in procession on the third Sunday after Easter.

       Senglea was saved and was hit not hit by the plague and the people of Senglea saw to it that the vows and obligations made would be strictly observed. One of the vows made was the holding of a procession and so on the 15th May 1814; a procession was made from Senglea to the Dominican Church in Birgu (Vittoriosa). All the fraternities, in their different garbs, took part. The children of the Kongregazzjoni tad-Dutrina Nisranija (Congregation of Christian Doctrine) led the procession. They were followed by the fraternity of the Oratorju tal-Penitenza (the Oratory of Penance). The statue of St Roque was carried during the procession. It was accompanied by prominent people of Senglea bearing torches. Then we had the fraternity of the Crucifix, of St Demetrius and of St Joseph. The group which corrected those who blaspheme were next in line followed by the fraternities of the Holy Trinity and of the Immaculate Conception. The latter carried the statue of the Immaculate Conception and members of the fraternity carrying torches accompanied the statue. The fraternities of the Rosary and of the Blessed Sacrament followed. The statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer was at the rear of the procession. It was also accompanied by members of the fraternity bearing torches.

       The statue was followed by the Crucifix flanked by two accolades, the clergy and the chapter. The Parish Priest Canon D. Vincenz Cachia and two ministers bought the procession to an end. The Rosary was recited and hymns of thanks were sung during the procession. The congregation followed the procession and as was the norm in those days there was complete segregation between men and women.

       When the congregation arrived at the Dominican church, the renowned preacher, Canon Dun Pietru Said deliver the sermon. Afterwards the procession made its way back to Senglea with the bells of Birgu (Vittoriosa) and Bormla (Cospicua) churches peeling all along the way. When the procession arrived back at the Collegiate, the antiphon of Our Lady, Regina Coeli Laetare (Queen of Heavens Rejoice) was sung. This singing was also part of the vow made by the people of Senglea.

       Another vow made was that a statue of Our Lady should be erected in the centre of Senglea. A marble statue was ordered and paid for by Salvu Debarro. It was put on a column which was erected in the plain between the two slopes of Senglea on the 19th May 1816. The Archpriest Cachia wrote an inscription in Latin and was put on a marble slab on one of the sides of the column. The inscription reminds all that by the grace of God and the intercession of Our Lady, Senglea was spared the plague of 1813. A Government degree issued on the 16th July 1814 gave permission that this statue, donated by Salvu Debarro could be put up a reminder of this grate grace bestowed on the people of Senglea.                                          

SENGLEA THROUGH THE AGES  8

Senglea at the beginning of the British era in Malta

       From the notes kept in the early days of the times of the parish, Arch Priest Canon D. Vincenz Cachia, who was the second Archpriest of the parish, we can work out in detail how life was in Senglea. These times were interesting times. The Collegiate was in its infancy and the islands of Malta and Gozo passed into the hands of the British. Since the information given is very vast we are going to concentrate on one year only, namely 1802.

       The residents of Senglea were always a sea-faring people but they also had great love for their parish church. There was a usage that some ships donate one-eight of their income to the church. On the ships there used to be collection boxes and the money collected in 1802 amounted to sixty four skud. As a sign of thanks and appreciation the parish church used to offer blessed palm leaves and bunches of olive leaves to the crew of these ships.

       Some shop owners were delegated by the Archpriest to take care to buy the palm leaves and olive branches. These were in turn distributed to every person in Senglea. The palm leaves and olive branches distributed to the benefactors and the canons were specially ornamented. In 1802, the expenses to cover this event cost sixty skud and for those days it was a large sum of money.

       The elevation of the parish to the statue of Collegiate meant that things were a little bit better. The liturgical functions were performed with more solemnity. In the circumstances of Malta then, one always lacked something or other, but the good relationship with various captains of ships which berthed in Senglea Creek made a difference. In those days incense was very scarce. Captain Luigi Abela was asked to buy some incense when he goes on his next trip to Tunis on behalf of the church. The Parish Priest paid twenty seven skud for this fine incense.

       There were many prominent people in the island who had close connections with Senglea and so the parish made it a point to conserve these useful links. Sister Frangiska Ciantar, a nun of the cloister of St Catherine, was asked to make three bunches of artificial flowers. Two bunches were donated to the Royal Commissioner Alexander Ball and the other bunch was given to his representative in Senglea, Filippu Castagna.

       There were other usages connected with feasts and processions. For the feast of Our Lady of Victory we have it on records that the dome was lit up with about seven hundred candles. These candles were made at Zejtun and Zurrieq. A lot of boats were hired to ferry to and fro the people who came for the ceremonies held at the Collegiate. The church floor used to be covered with laurel leaves for the duration of the feast. The procurators used to buy wine so that it could be distributed to those who helped make a success of the feast.

       Among the processions held in thanks for some vow made there was the feast of San Girgor which was held on the first Wednesday after Easter. It was a very long procession, starting at Mdina and ending up at Zejtun. There were various stops along the way. Sometimes the clergy and laymen taking part in the procession were drenched from some sudden downpour. So in 1802 precaution was taken so that no further damage would be caused to the crucifix carried in front of the clergy. When the procession arrived at Zejtun the clergy used to change the vestment used for the procession. The priests and canons coming from Senglea parish were then driven to Senglea in a horse driven carriage.