La Valette’s hat, which is part of the heritage on display at the museum of the Vittoriosa church, has been restored by the Cottonera Rehabilitation Project in the Ministry for Resources & Infrastructure.

It was done by the Malta Centre for Restoration, which is now part of Heritage Malta.

Dr Ray Bondin, CRP’s Executive Coordinator, and the Archpriest of Vittoriosa, unveiled the restored hat at a recent ceremony. The Archpriest spoke about the heritage of the Church in Vittoriosa and mentioned that volunteers run the museum.

Ray Bondin spoke about the significance of this small but very important project. Part of the project consisted of carbon dating the original part of the hat at the University of Lecce: this verified that the hat belongs to the La Valette period and thus confirms the long standing tradition that Grand Master La Valette personally donated the hat and a sword to the people of Vittoriosa.

He also spoke about other restoration projects at the Armerija and that of the statue of St Lawrence, which will be ready in time for the feast, as well as projects that will be carried out next year especially on the bastions and their environs.