8 September: New Exhibition At The Grand Master’s Palace

Press Release│29 August 2025

Heritage Malta has opened a new exhibition at the Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta, celebrating Victory Day. This exhibition will remain open to the public until Sunday 14 September and is complemented by a catalogue and a new publication about Grand Master de Vallete.

In this year which marks the 460th anniversary of the victory in the Great Siege, the exhibition, entitled ‘It-8 ta’ Settembru: L-Ewwel Jum Nazzjonali’, invites visitors to reflect on three historic events that shaped the identity of the Maltese people: the end of the Great Siege in 1565, the capitulation of the French in 1800, and the declaration of armistice by Italy in World War II in 1943.

The exhibition, held in the Throne Room, brings together a considerable number of artefacts from the national collection which are being exhibited together for the occasion. Among these, in connection with the Great Siege we find the frescoes by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio in the Grand Master’s Palace itself, accompanied by engravings and maps, as well as sixteenth-century medals and coins.

The French capitulation is recounted through three large silver plates that were offered by the Maltese to the British, medals awarded to Maltese heroes after the blockade of 1798–1800, and a handwritten sonnet by the Maltese forces as part of the preparations for the victory celebrations.

Closer to our times, an Italian officer’s pistol and its cartridge, a 1943 picture of Senglea’s Bambina, and an original newspaper dated 9 September 1943 take visitors into the last moments of the Second World War in Malta. A bilingual illustrated catalogue complements the experience and is available for sale at the Palace’s shop.

During the inauguration, which was attended by Dr Owen Bonnici, Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government, Heritage Malta also launched a new publication titled ‘Grand Master Jehan de Vallete’. Penned by renowned historian Prof. Carmel Cassar, the book looks into the life of the Grand Master who led the Order during the Great Siege and founded Valletta. This publication is available online on heritagemalta.mt/store/grand-master-jehan-de-vallete-hero-of-the-ottoman-siege-of-malta-and-founder-of-valletta/ and at the Palace’s shop.

The exhibition ‘It-8 ta’ Settembru: L-Ewwel Jum Nazzjonali’ is open daily between 10:00am and 6:00pm (last entry at 5:30pm), and is included in the Grand Master’s Palace experience, which is wheelchair accessible. For more information visit heritagemalta.mt/whats-on or follow Heritage Malta’s social media.