The Vittoriosa Good Friday procession

Abstract

One cannot state with accuracy when this procession was first held in Vittoriosa, though modern writers seem to attribute it to the year 1700. Earlier, in 1657, a sea-captain commanding the Capitane had brought a huge crucifix from Candia which was placed in a side-chapel of the church of St Lawrence. This may have been a result of a devotion towards the Passion of Our Lord already existing in Vlttoriosa which eventually led to the establishment of the Confraternity of the Crucifix in 1718. While in Cospicua the establishment of the confraternity preceded the organisation of the procession, it appears that in Vittoriosa the confraternity was set up to take charge of an already existing procession. Again one cannot put a precise date to the foundation of this confraternity which was officially approved in 1718. Very early in its history it must have received popular support among the locals as shown by the fact that even before 1720 the members could afford to build an oratory dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. They certainly had a great influence on the organisation of the procession, taking the Passion Statues in procession on all Fridays of Lent with a special manifestation on the Friday before Palm Sunday when the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows was paraded through the city streets. These processions were already well established in 1759. [excerpt]