Maltese Culture & Heritage
MALTA and GOZO are famous for their ancient history, actually predating history due to the evidence of some colossal and well-preserved stone Temples from prehistoric times, some of these being dated older than the Pyramids of Egypt. But their fame is also due to the Two Great Sieges, one in 1565 when the Turkish Empire with all its might could not conquer little Malta, with its tall bastions, the brave Knights of St John and the local people whose support and determination were crucial; the other momentous event being the 2nd World war (1939 -1942) when Malta's successful stand-off against the aggressive and fearful airplane attacks of the Nazis, contributing in a massive way towards the final armistice, with Malta?s people besieged, hungry but proudly helping the Allies to victory.
Independence within the British Commonwealth came on 21st September 1964. Malta was declared a Republic on 13th December 1973.
The Maltese Islands are positively mythic with her unique 7,000-year-old cultural and historical heritage, dominated by its megalithic temples. Several thousands of years before the Phoenicians arrived Malta was home to a remarkable society of ancients. From this Neolithic period we find the remains of the megalithic temples dedicated to the goddess of fertility. One of the most important archaeological sites in Malta are the Ggantija temples in Gozo, they date back to 3600BC, most of the megaliths here exceed five metres in length and weigh over fifty tons. These are the oldest freestanding structures of the world, pre-dating the Egyptian pyramid by some five hundred years.
The Bronze Age Culture succeeded the Temple culture and eventually the sea faring Phoenicians colonised the Islands. Mdina was founded by the Phoenicians around 800 BC and continued to grow under the Romans and Byzantines. The oldest city on the island and our old Capital city, the word Mdina is derived from the Arabic word ''Medina'' which means "City". Malta fell into Arab hands eight years after Sicily did in 870AD and possibly they had the greatest influence on both the Maltese people and their language. They also brought with them oranges, lemons and cotton. The presence of a large affluent Roman house, which now houses the Domus Romana museum, is indicative that Mdina was at the heart of Malta's political rule during the Roman era.
The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain gave Malta to the knights of St John of Jerusalem; they ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798. The knights took Malta through a new golden age making it a key player in the cultural arena of 17th and 18th century Europe. The Island was injected with influence of the many artists such as Caravaggio, Mattia Preti and Favray who were commissioned by the Knights to embellish churches, palaces and auberges. One of the world?s most opulent churches, the St. Johns cathedral was completed in the 1570s to serve the knights. A Maltese architect Girolomu Cassar in the Mannerist style designed this extravagant church with an austere interior and a stark exterior topped by turret like bell towers. The exterior was never retouched but a transformation of the interior began in the 17th century. Grand Master Rafael Cotoner started the project in 1660, with the advent of baroque in Southern Europe?s Roman Catholic countries, the knights engaged the Italian Baroque artist Mattia Preti to supervise the artistic recreation of the Co-cathedral. This project took twenty years and it took Preti five years to paint the 18 vignettes on the vault depicting the episodes from St. John the Baptist's Life.
In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte took Malta from the knights, his stay here was short lived as the English blockaded the Island in the 1800 and they stayed here ruling Malta until independence in 1964.
The arts have always played an important role in Maltese culture and continue to do so with cultural events and re enactments from the past during the local festas.
The National Museum of fine arts, housed in an exuberant building dating from the 1570's, exhibits some magnificent art, ranging from the early Renaissance period to modern contemporary times. The St James centre for Creativity, is the national gallery for contemporary art, exhibitions are held and well-produced plays and operas are staged regularly.
