Religious Sites

About Our Lady of Victory Church Valletta

Our Lady of Victory Church is pivotal to the history of Malta.  It is the first building and the first church of Valletta.  Jean Parisot De La Valette, Grand Master of the Order of Knight of Malta, dedicated it to Blessed Virgin after his victory over the Ottoman invader at the lifting of the Graet Siege on the eve of 8 September 1565, annual feast of the Nativity of the Virgin.  When he died in 1568, La Valette was buried in the crypt below the church.  In 1617, the Order made 'Our Lady of Victory' its Parish Church, continuing to endow it with important monuments and paintings.  

In 1716, Grand Master Pereollos (1697 to 1720) commissioned the magnificent vault paints of the Life of the Virgin by Alessio Erardi, currently undergoing conservation.  The splendid baroque facade, with its bronze bust of Pope Innocent XII was added in 1752 by order of Grand Master Pinto (1741-1773).  Din l-Art Helwa, a voluntary organization working to protect cultural heritage has undertaken the task of restoring the church and its treasures.  Din l-Art Helwa apologises for any inconvenience caused by conservation works and is grateful for any contribution towards this project

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