Victoria

Victoria or Città Victoria is the upper-case alphabetic quality of Gozo, an isle of the Maltese archipelago inwards the Mediterranean Sea. The town has a full population of 6,414 (November 2005), together with past times population is the largest locality inwards Gozo.

Victoria is the cite given inwards 1897 past times the British authorities on the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, at the asking of the Bishop of Malta, Mons. Sir Pietro Pace. However Gozitans notwithstanding frequently refer to it past times its quondam name, Rabat. The expanse about Victoria, situated on a loma close the centre of the island, has been settled since Neolithic times.

 The interior of the Cathedral of Assumption within the citadel inwards Victoria

The Citadella

In the pump of Victoria lies the Citadella (Citadel), which has been the centre of action of the isle since mayhap Neolithic times, but is known to last starting fourth dimension fortified during the Bronze Age only about about 1500 BC. It was later on developed past times the Phoenicians together with continued into becoming a complex Acropolis past times Roman times.

 The outside of the Cathedral of Assumption.

The due north side of the Citadel dates dorsum to the Aragonese domination period, piece the due south flank, overlooking Victoria, was re-constructed nether the Knights of St. John, namely betwixt 1599 together with 1603 The massive defensive rock walls of the fortifications ascension inwards a higher house the town together with were built past times the Knights to protect the hamlet communities from foraging corsairs attempting to stimulate got slaves together with threatened invasion of Moslem forces fighting Christendom.

Within its walls lies a fine 17th century baroque Cathedral designed past times Lorenzo Gafà, the Maltese architect who also built the Cathedral of Mdina. It is said that it lies on the site where a Roman temple dedicated to Juno in 1 trial stood. It is nearly famous for the remarkable trompe l'oeil ikon on its ceiling, which depicts the interior of a dome that was never built.

St George's Parish

This parish, which covers the whole of Victoria, caters for a lilliputian over one-half of the population of Victoria, equally it is a personal parish (as opposed to other parishes who are territorial) operating inwards the metropolis of Victoria. Its parish church building dedicated to St George has the condition of a Basilica. This church building was built inwards the 1670s together with suffered severe harm inwards the earthquake of 1693. H5N1 novel façade was built inwards 1818. The dome together with the aisles are of recent structure (1930s together with 1940s). There are several industrial plant of fine art inwards this church building which include the ikon of the dome together with ceiling past times Gian Battista Conti of Rome together with other paintings together with sculptures past times Mattia Preti, Giuseppe d'Arena, Stefano Erardi, Alessio Erardi, Francesco V. Zahra, Giuseppe Calì, together with contemporary Alfred Camilleri Cauchi together with John L. Grima. The titular statue of St George was carved from corporation forest past times Pietro Paolo Azzopardi inwards 1838 together with is the starting fourth dimension titular statue on the island. The expanse over which the church building is built is of considerable archaeological interest, amongst testify of action dating dorsum to at to the lowest degree to the Roman period.

The parish celebrates 2 feasts during the year: 23 April, the official appointment celebrating the expiry of the martyr, together with the tertiary Lord's Day of July, when the solemn festivities inwards accolade of Gozo's patron saint are held.

Villa Rundle

These gardens are situated betwixt Republic Street together with the Main Car Park inwards Victoria. One tin seein these gardens a bronze bust of the Gozitan 18th century historian together with grammarian Can. Gian Pietro Agius de Soldanis together with some other of Gozo born French poet together with author Laurent Ropa.