This is about the feast that is celebrated every last Sunday of September at the Parish Church of St. George in Qormi. The procession starts after the celebration at 6.00 p.m.

The Titular Painting:
Before the year 1924 instead was another one that is there one use to find a beautiful painting of Francesco Zahra.  This painting was paid by a priest from Qormi, Fr. Gwann Mula. Now this one is in a private collection. The new painting was painted by Karmnu Galea as we have said in 1924. The painting has paid for it Fr. Salv Sammut.

The Statue
This wooden statue was made by Pietru Pawl Azzopardi in 1865 and was paid by the ConFraternity of St. Michael. This has replaced an older one, made by Xandru Farrugia from wood, in 1847 that has been sold to the Parish Church of St. George at Rabat in Gozo, due to some differences in the confraternity. Ganni Cassar has paid for this old statue. During the procession of 2001, the statue suffered some damages. Since than it was in the hands of Kav. Afred Camillieri Cauchi to restore the damages and what is needed. The statue was back to church ready for the feast of St. Michael, 2003.

Artal of St. Michael	Statue of St. Michael
Statue of St. Michael	During Procession

Il-Fratellanza twaqqfet fl-1739 mill-Isqof Alpheran De Bussan wara li kien ircieva u approva statut u talba sabiex titwaqqaf konfraternita gdida go Hal-Qormi dik ta’ l-San Mikiel Arkanglu. Pero tajjeb nghidu li ghalkemm kienet twaqfet il- Fratellanza ma bdietx topera jew ahjar tiehu sehem qabel ghaddew xi snin imma mhux maghruf kemm kien dan il-perjodu. Ghalkemm sal-1758 kienet diga organizzata regolarment ghax kienu ga thallew xi quddies ghall-erwieh tal-Fratelli b’hekk ghadna ghalxiex nahsbu li l-perjodu li ma haditx sehem kien qasir hafna.

Tajjeb wiehed jghid li f’Hal Qormi kien hawn Kappella Medjevali ddedikata lil San Mikiel Arkanglu ezzatament x’imkien qrib fejn illum nsibu l-Artal iddedikat lilu ghalhekk tista tghid li l-Artal ha post il- Kappella. Dan gara ghal fatt li l-knisja l-antika ta’ San Gorg kienet bejn wiehed u iehor fejn illum hemm l-artal tal-Madonna tar-Ruzarju u ovjament kienet izghar minn dik ezistenti. Ghalhekk kienet inhasset il-htiega li ghanda tikber u biex dan seta jsehh kellhom iwaqqghu il-Kappella ta’ San Mikiel u l-istess xorti messet lil Kappella tal-Lunzjata biex jaghmlu l-wisa’ ghal knisja l-gdida ta’ San Gorg. Jidher li meta zar il-Parrocca u l-Knisja l-Gran Mastru De Paule fl-1623 kull ma kien fiha huma 5 Artali li kienu tal-Lunzjata, San Mikiel, tal-Gandlora, tar-Ruzarju, tal-Grazzja u sintendi dak tan-nofs il-Maggur. Jidher illi aktar ma bdew igerbu is-snin tas-Seklu 17, dawn l-artali aktar bdew jizdiedu u anki bdew jigu imzejna bi prospettivi mnaqqxa fil-gebel kif ukoll sahansitra fl-injam dejjem fuq still barokk. L-Artal ta’ San Mikiel kellu prospettiva li kienet tikkonsisti minn zewg kolonni tal-gebel, zewg puttini bil-qieghda fuq il-gwarnica kif ukoll xoghol iehor ta’ skultura fil-gebel. Ma tantx nafu aktar minn hekk ezempju mhux maghruf xejn dwar l-ewwel titular ghalkemm fl-1747, l-Isqof Alpheran De Bussan ordna li kellu jsir iehor f’qasir zmien. Ghal din l-ordni l-Qriema jew ahjar il-Fratelli mill-ewwel hadu inizjattiva u ordnaw titular gdid ghand il-Pittur celebri Francesco Zahra. Dan kien lest fl-1754 jigifieri 7 snin wara  u gie imhalsa mis-sacerdot Qormi Dun Gwann Mula. F’din il-pittura Zahra ma pittirx biss lil San Mikiel izda dahhal lil San Glormu f’ghar jahdem fuq it-traduzzjoni ta’ l-iskrittura. Din il-pittura beqqet titgawda fil-Knisja sa l-1924 sakemm f’Malta kienet dahlet il-moda, biex insejhula hekk, li jitnehha l-barokk mill-knejjes. Il-Qriema dak iz-zmien mill-ewwel bdew ikisru l-prospettivi ta’ l-artali u ghalhekk il-pittura ta’ Zahra kienet giet kbira ghal l-artal il-gdid u flokk twew bicca bhal ma ghamlu lil pittura ta’ San Guzepp iddecidew li jibdluha. Id-decizjoni li din tinbidel ma dik ezistenti llum waslet biex b’dispjacir kbir ikolli nghid illi din spiccat f’kollezjoni privata. Ghalhekk kemm il-parrocca kif ukoll i-fratellanza tlifna kapulavur ta’ l-arti. Dan sehh ghax kienu ddecidew illi min ihallas il-gdida jiehu l-antika u din kienet decizjoni zbaljata ghal ahhar ghax il-parrocca tilfet bicca xoghol ta’ l-arti li kienet bil-bosta superjuri artistikament ghal dik li saret gdida. Dan ghalhiex dik li tpitrett gdida minn certu wiehed Karmnu Galea dilettent Qormi hija kopja fjakka hafna ta’ wahda impitra min Gwido Reni. Il-gdida kien hallasa ghaliha s-sacerdot Dun Salv Sammut.

Rigward it-tizjin tal-festa, hawn ukoll nsibu bicciet ta’ certu valur artistiku li fortunatament ghadna nistghu ngawduhom fil-jiem tal-festa. Hawn insibu sett gandlieri u sett ta’ karti Gloria tal-fidda li pero mhux maghruf ta’ min hu id-disin. Dan is-sett gie restawrat minn Twanny Zammit fl-1996 li hu Qormi fuq inizjattiva tal-kumitat tal-fratellanza wara tahditiet bejnietna. Bejniethom insibu sett gastri ta’ l-alabastru b’sett fjuretti tal-ganutell li huma antiki sew. Wiehed jista jara ukoll vazun tac-ciramika b’induratura tad-deheb li hu uniku fil-knisja taghna. Zewg opri li ma nistax ninsa insemmi huma t-terha u l-ventartal ta’ l-Artal ta’ San MIkiel li filwaqt illi l-ventartal hu tad-disinjatur u tabib Nikola Zammit u sar wara l-1878, it-terha mhux maghruf fic-cert ta’ min hu d-disin ghalkemm hawn min jatribwija lil istess Nikola Zammit. Fl-1998 il-fratellanza irrestawrat u ndurat mill-gdid il-gwarnic tal-ventartal ghand is-sur Joe Zammit li kien ukoll fratell maghna u li hadmu minghajr hlas.

Hawn hekk nixtieq insemmi ukoll is-sett ta’ sitt statwetti ta’ l-Arkangli li jintramaw fuq l-Artal maggur fil-festa ta’ San Mikiel li tigi celebrata l-ahhar Hadd ta’ Settembru. Dawn sfortunatament ma nafux ezatt min haddimhom pero il-Kav. Alfred Camilleri Cauchi kien qallilna li aktarx huma xoghol atribwit lil bravu Karlu Darmanin jew Karmnu Mallia maghruf aktar bhala il-“LHUDI”, statwarju Qormi li hareg mill-iskola ta’ l-istess Karlu Darmanin. Dawn ukoll gew restawrati fuq inizjattiva tal-fratellanza bl-ghajnuna ta’ ex-fratell u benefattur kbir, is-sur Gorg Scicluna “TAL-LUPEP”, li sfortunatament kien halliena sentejn ilu. Dawn ukoll gew restawrati mis-sur Joe Zammit fl-1997.

Jikumplimentaw lil dawn is-sett ta’ Arkangli insibu sett ta’ hames gastri tal-fidda u fjuretti tal-karti antiki u imprezzabli parigg erba’ ohra li jintramaw fuq il-bradella ta’ San Mikiel. Nsibu wkoll sett ta’ sitta din id-darba li ghalkemm das-sett hu bhas-sett tal-maggur, dawn huma izghar fid-daqs u jintramaw fuq l-artal tal-Fratellanza.  

Haga ohra u naghlaq biha hu l-istandard li jintrama fil-festa ta’ San Gorg ghalkemm ma jintramax fuq l-artal mhux ta’ min ma jsemmiehx. Dan sar fl-1958 fuq disin ta’ Manuel Buhagiar u d-disin kien lest fis-7 ta’ Novembru 1958 u hu dak iz-zmien kienet thalset is-somma ta’ Lm17 g]ax-xoghol tad-disin li kien ghamel. Dan jidher li kien lest is-sena ta’ wara ghaliex fis-16 ta’ Novembru 1959 thalsett is-somma ta’ Lm367.11 lis-sorijiet ta’ l-Istitut tan-Nazzarenu fiz-Zejtun ghax-xoghol ta’ hjata u rakmu bid-deheb ta’ l-istandard. Ghalhekk is-sena d-diehla jaghlaq 50 sena fostna.

L-istatwa prezenti ma hijiex l-ewwel wahda li nhadmet ghal parrocca ta’ San Gorg hawn Hal Qormi ghaliex qabilha kienet nhadmet ohra li pero qatt ma dahlet il-knisja. L-ewwel statwa saret fl-1838 u nhadmet fl-injam ukoll minn Xandru Farrugia u thalset minn Ganni Cassar, li dak iz-zmien kien il-prokuratur tal-fratellanza. Dan biegha lil  Parrocca ta’ San Gorg ta’ Ghawdex wara xi differenzi li nqallghu bejnu u l-fratellanza.

Ghalhekk wara li lahaq prokuratur gdid, dan avvicina lil Pietru Pawl Azzopardi biex jahdem statwa gdida. Din tlestiet fl-1865 jigifieri 143 sena ilu. Beqet fl-istat originalli taghha sa l-1951 meta giet indurata mill-gdid u swiet Lm85. Iz-zebgha kienet vdata f’idejn Raffaele Cali u thallas is-somma ta’ Lm15. Riccentament  waqt il-purcisjoni ta’ l-2002 l-istatwa gratilha xi hsara fejn nkiser wiehed mill-gwienah. Il-fratellanza mill-ewwel hadet hsieb u ghal hekk wara li tkellmet mal-arcipriet ta’ dak iz-zmien, Dun Frans Abdilla, ittiehdet ghar-restawr ghand il-Kav. Alfred Camillieri Cauchi. Waqt dan ir-restawr gie mnaddaf diversi passati ta’ vernic li kien inatta matul is-snin. Instab li l-istatwa kinet giet imbabsa minn xi diletant. Barra min hekk id-dimonju instab li kellu ghajnejn tal-hgieg u xi hadd kissirhom u ghatihom bil-gibs. Barra minn hekk sab ukoll li l-gwienah kienu nduratti kollha qabel ma nzebghu bil-kulur blu ghalhekk gie deciz li naghmluhom bhal ma kienu qabel, jigifieri li jigu ndurati bhal l-istat originali li kienu.

Grazzi lil habib taghna Natalino Xuereb

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• Feasts and Dates Celebrated in the Maltese Islands ( Malta & Gozo )