100 years from your coronation, forever our Queen: Sengleans

Sengleans will on Saturday proudly celebrate a century since the historic coronation of their beloved statue of the Bambina The date of September 4 has a special meaning for the people of Senglea this year. One hundred years ago, a golden crown, studded with precious stones, was placed on the head of the holy image of the Bambina. This coronation took place after the chapter made a formal request to archbishop Mauro Caruana on March 1, 1920. Following this, the archbishop submitted a request to the Holy See, dated March 31, 1920.   The information that was sent to Rome, together with the archbishop’s request, appears to have been sufficiently convincing because the Vatican Chapter, with the blessing of Pope Benedict XV, decided in favour of the coronation less than a month later, on April 25, 1920. When the news reached the city of Senglea, it was greeted with a festive atmosphere and great joy among the populace.  This was a great privilege for this “unconquered” city because the Bambina tal-Vittorja was the first statue to be crowned on the Maltese islands. The preparations The then archpriest, Can. Joseph Adami immediately set up an organising committee to start preparing...