Orations on the victory of the Order of St John over the Turks in 1565 and on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Valletta in 1566

The first Chapter General meeting of the Order of St John held after the victory over the Turks in the Great Siege of 1565, took place on 10 February of the following year. Before dealing with the agenda of the day, orations were delivered. One of these was presented by Augustinian Fr Spiritus Pelo Anguisciola who would yet deliver another oration, a month later, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Valletta, in March 1566. The text of the latter had been published by Gian Francesco Abela in 1647. The texts of both orations -taken from original manuscripts discovered by the present author -are being reproduced in this paper. The text of the former is being published herein for the first time.peer-reviewe

The expulsion of the Jesuits from Malta in 1639

In March 1639, an edict by Grand Master Lascaris forbade women to wear masks on the last three days of Carnival, and for the 'commedia' the Italian Knights were to hold on Carnival Saturday. The young knights protested, ended up ransacking the Jesuit College, and eventually asking for the Jesuits' expulsion from Malta. A manuscript account -discovered in Modena -narrates the unfolding of the events in detail. It throws light also on the mental state of the riotous knights who were adamant about the expulsion of the Jesuits whom they blamed for the grand master's edit and bando.peer-reviewe

The names of the town and villages of Gozo (Malta)

The Maltese islands have been dominated by various rulers who left an imprint on the life, customs, and language of the inhabitants. This is evident also in the toponymy of the archipelago. The names of places, towns, and villages of the larger island, Malta, provide interesting samples of these admixtures. The names of the town and villages of Gozo are no exception. The legal name of the capital, Victoria, reflects the very recent history of the islands; Malta under British rule. However, its older one, Rabat, and most of the names of the villages and smaller inhabited areas, corroborate the dominating Semitic element in the Maltese language, and the mixed history of the islands and their people. This paper gives a hypothetical etymology, together with a descriptive linguistic picture, of each of the names, and discusses the relationship each has within the prismatic context of the Maltese language, but especially toponymy.peer-reviewe

Mid-dizzjunarju - Għakkarija

L-awtur jistħarreġ it-tifsira tal-kelma “għakkarija” skont kif mogħtija fid-dizzjunarju ta’ Erin Serracino Inglott.peer-reviewe