The History of Birgu 

(Citta Vittoriosa)

A walled maritime city in Malta

birgu.org  



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Birgu (Vittoriosa) is the oldest of the settlements on the shore of the Grand Harbour in Malta.  Its Maltese name 'Birgu' is derived from 'Borgo' probably because of its longstanding relationship to the Fort of St Angelo, with Birgu therefore being 'il Borgo del Castello' or 'le Bourg du Chateau'.  It was given the name 'Vittoriosa' after it prevailed in the Great Siege  of 1565. Although it  is biased to characterise the history of Birgu solely or principally by its role in wars and strife, nevertheless these have sadly been milestones in its history and leave their marks on it to this day.








Birgu before 1530

There is scant evidence of human settlement in Birgu dating back to prehistory.  As regards more recent times, archaeologic remains in Fort St Angelo suggest the existence of a Roman Temple. The fort itself or 'Castrum Maris' is well chronicled in the early thirteenth century, and undoubtedly provided succour and protection to the inhabitants of the neighbouring 'Borgo'. Birgu was the maritime centre of medieval Malta. 

In the 13th century Birgu, in common with the rest of Malta, passed  through the hands of the Angevins. In 1283 an Aragonese fleet headed by admiral Roger de Loria (Ruggiero di Lauria / Roger de Llúria) defeated the Angevins in a naval battle in the Grand Harbour, close to its entrance. However it took some time for the defending Angevins to be dislodged  from the 'Castle by the Sea' i.e. Fort St Angelo.

The Aragonese were (at least initially) more welcomed by the inhabitants than the ousted Angevins. The use in the feast of St Lawrence of variants of the flag with horizontal red and yellow stripes i.e. the Senera de Aragon possibly dates back to this time of rule by the Kingdom of Aragon, when the veneration of 'San Lorenzo' started in Birgu.





Birgu from 1530 onwards:

After their defeat in Rhodes in 1522, the Knights Hospitallers of St John were left without  a base. After a search lasting for years they were granted Malta (though it had not been their preferred first choice). They were led there by Grand Master de l'Isle Adam, together with their retinue (including a number of Rhodians), their archives and treasures, and their vessels including the renowned carrack Santa Anna. When they came to Malta on the 26th October 1530,  after formally taking possession of the key of the capital Mdina (from the Capitano della Verga) they established themselves in Birgu.  Fort St Angelo, at the tip of its peninsula and Birgu itself were used to house their Headquarters. Thence, effectively until Valletta became the capital city, Birgu was the seat of Government in Malta.  The Knights named it Citta Nuova i.e. the new city ( nova civitas Melitae ) to distinguish it from the old(er) Mdina i.e. Citta Vecchia. The  Knights built and sheltered their ships and had their armoury, treasury hospital and other public and administrative buildings in Birgu. The had their living quarters, mostly in that part of Birgu which they called the Collachio. 

The following Grand Masters governed from Birgu:

Philippe Villiers de l'Isle-Adam:  (1521) -1534
Pierino del Ponte:  1534 - 1535
Didier de Sainte-Jalle:  (1535 - 1536)
Juan de Homedes:  1536 - 1553
Claude de la Sengle:  1553 - 1557
Jean Parisot de la Vallette:  1557 - 1568
Pietro del Monte:  1568 - (1572)

(years in brackets excluded)

Birgu sustained intense bombardment, as well as deprivation, during the Great Siege of 1565.

The focus of the Ottoman artillery, as depicted in the painting, is the hornwork of the Post of Castille which they bombarded from 'Mount Salvatore' and from the promontory which is now called 'Bighi'. The besiegers breached the fortifications only to be repulsed by the defenders. This part of Birgu is known to this day as 'il-prexxa' (probably a corruption of the Italian 'breccia').

The original painting on canvas is one of four painted by Matteo Perez d'Aleccio on the theme of the Great Siege displated in the E-library of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich,  London (another four are not on public display).  However the Throne Room ( the Hall of St Michael and St George ) of the Grandmaster's Palace, Valletta houses the corresponding fresco(es). Fort St Angelo played a most important role in this siege for example in attacking the besiegers based on 'Mount Sceberras'  and notably when the De Guiral battery foiled an Ottoman attack by sea on the neighbouring fortified town of 'Senglea'.

The victory in the Great Siege was both Birgu's doing and its undoing. The triumphant city was renamed " Citta Vittoriosa" and the motto of the city is also related to war: namely its survival in spite of the Great Siege of 1565: "Victrix Palmam Fero" (Victorious, the palm I bear).  However riding on their victory, and with both the need to further fortify the Grand Harbour area and the investment to do so, an even newer city Valletta ('citta umilissima' / 'humilissima civitas') was built and Birgu was no longer the seat of Government of the island. 

The fortifications of Birgu still attest to that epoch, and besides visiting these, a lot can be learnt about society at the time and in later years leading up to the French occupation by visiting the Inquisitor's Palace.

 

The French Occupation and the subsequent British colonial period:

During the French occupation, Birgu, like all 'The Three Cities' and Valletta, remained in the hands of the French until they finally capitulated, although there were a number of skirmishes with the occupiers within the urban streets.

Even during peacetime Birgu was not spared the price of hosting the military. A massive explosion in the gunpowder magazine in 1806 caused terrible loss of life and damage which is discernible to this day.

The following image shows the Birgu seafront (onto Dockyard Creek) in about 1910. Note the warship - probably a cruiser in the middle of the creek and along the quay close to Fort St Angelo is a large vessel - possibly the depot ship HMS Egmont (afloat), or else a collier. Fort St Angelo housed the Headquarters of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet - early in the 20th century the Fort was called HMS Egmont (ashore) for a couple of decades, but later was more appropriately named HMS St Angelo.

Birgu in the Second World War:

Birgu's inhabitants suffered greatly in the Second World War mainly between Italy's declaration of war and the end of 1942 or early 1943. 

The inhabitants were either evacuated from Birgu, and compulsorily rehoused generally to villages in the southern half of Malta and/or they spent a great deal of their time in air raid shelters, such as the one portrayed in the 'Malta at War' museum.

One of the many notable, or rather notorious,  blitzes was that associated with the bombing of the aircraft carrier Illustrious, as she was moored alongside Parlatorio wharf in January 1941. The association between HMS Illustrious and the Three Cities of Birgu (Vittoriosa), Isla (Senglea) and Bormla (Cospicua) continues to the present day.

Other air raids destroyed or severely damaged historic buildings, such as the clock tower in the main square, the Churches of the Annunciation and of St Lawrence, and the old armoury (armerija) of the Knights of the Order of St John.  

The image alongside shows part of the wall of the Knights' armoury (which had also later served as a military hospital) after it was repaired following German air raid damage sustained at the hands of Luftwaffe bombers in April 1942. It clearly shows old masonry side by side with the new.

Fort Saint Angelo played a role mainly as a naval base.  However anti-aircraft defences were sited there. Thus, as in the 'Great Siege' of four centuries earlier, the oldest sea fortress in Malta also engaged directly in action against the enemy

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