Saint Paul's Day Full-Gun Salute

Despite the hanging skies today, a full gun salute was fired as announced on St. Paul's Day at the Saluting Battery, Valletta by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna's Historical Interpretation Group representing late 19th century Royal Malta Artillery gunners. Church salutes as fired on these occasions were the responsibility of artillerymen since before the arrival of the Hospitaller Order of St. John. They were briefly abolished during the short French interlude to be restored by the British until 1939 when they were suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War not to be resumed. FWA had restored this tradition in 2004 following the restoration of the Saluting Battery supported by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Bank of Valletta. A similar full-gun salute is fired on September 8 - the feast of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin known in Maltese as the feast of Marija Bambina which also happens to be a national holiday commemorating the victories gained against the Ottomans in 1565, the end of the French blockade in 1800 and the surrender of Italy in 1943.

Photo credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi