The Malta Independent on Sunday
The statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel made in 1780 in Naples
Fr. Hermann Duncan O.Carm The Maltese islands boast a number of beautiful statues sculpted by both Maltese and foreign artists. One of these prestigious works of art is the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel venerated in the Balluta Parish church in St Julian’s. According to historical documents, from the notary archives of Francesco Bovio, on 5 November 1779, an agreement was reached in Naples between Mr. Guido Pasquale on behalf of the Carmelite fraternity of Valletta and the sculptor Gennaro Reale. The agreement was to make a statue 6 and three quarter feet high with a base of half a foot high, by the end of March 1780. The statue was to be made with a high degree of likeness to the clay model presented by the same sculptor. Furthermore the agreement was that the statue be painted in accordance with the rules. The price for this statue was set to be 70 Neapolitan Ducats and all the work on the statue was to be overseen by Professor Carlo Mondicello.
It is worth noting that a General Council meeting was held for the Carmelite fraternity in their oratory in Valletta on the 19th of March 1780 where the agreement was approved.
At the time in Valletta, there was another statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which was not venerated anymore, and thus it was agreed to use the pedestal of this statue for the new statue. The prime-carpenter Mr.Eugenio Borg undertook the wood work of the pedestal. In addition the Carmelites paid Captain Mr. Giacomo Burlo Corribo to have the statue shipped down from Naples on a vessel of the Order of the Knights of St.John.
The statue reached the Maltese shores on the 17th of September 1780, without any ornamentation or paint. Later on the painter J.Antonio Grech who was working at the Grand Masters Palace in San Anton at the time, took on the job of painting the statue while Mr. Galdes saw to the guilding of it.
The first time that this statue came out in public was in a procession held on the Sunday of the octave of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta in 1882. The statue was blessed with great solemnity and was placed in the Carmelite oratory in the Basilica Sanctuary in Valletta for the public to see. It was later in 1890 when the Carmelites moved to Balluta, that the statue was given to them.
In 1896, four years after the priory was built, the first procession was held in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Balluta. Today this statue is found in the Balluta parish church and this year it has celebrated its 120th anniversary since the first procession.
Every year the procession takes place on the last Sunday of July and is celebrated with great solemnity together with the participation of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Balluta Musical Society, as well as the External Feast Commission. The musical society was formed on the 29th of September 1987 during the first sitting of the Provisory Council. The following year on the 23rd of July 1988, the official opening of the club and the inauguration of the Music band was held. Today the club is located in St. Helen street in Sliema under the name of Pope John Paul II. During the feast, the band contributes with its marches as well as the vocal and instrumental programmes held on the eve of the feast in Balluta square. Apart from this there are many other activities and public attractions that make this feast a memorable one.
We pray that the Virgin Mary Queen of the Carmelites, watches over this parish with great love, and so that She might yield more saintly vocations.