On Thursday 17 May, at 6.30pm a public talk by campanologist Kenneth Cauchi is to be delivered at the Church of Our Lady of Victories organized by Din l-Art Helwa. Bells have long been used to regulate man's every day routine. Such use necessitated the commissioning of large and durable bronze bells able to communicate and convey their messages afar. The Order of the Knights' foundry was in Valletta which made it easier for church procurators to commission bells locally. Each Master founder of the Ferreria left his indelible signature in the particular profile of his bells. This scenario prevailed all over the Maltese islands especially in the numerous churches of Valletta. The church of Our Lady of Victories situated a stone's throw from the Ferreria is no exception. Its bells symbolize the epitome of the Maltese bell founding craft in the last decades of the 18th Century and during the High Baroque period. Meticulously and recently restored by Din l-Art Ħelwa, the Victory Church bells carry the marks of famous Master Founders Luca and Mederico Menville, Aloisio Bouchut and Francesco and Gioacchino Trigance. The campanological legacy of the Ferreria consists of several tonnes of bronze which lie hidden in Malta's bell towers and awaiting discovery.....
Kenneth Cauchi is a Maltese conservation practitioner by profession, specialised in monuments and heritage buildings. After graduating from the University of Malta with Honours in 2005 focusing on conservation of metals, stone ceramics and glass he obtained a Master's degree from the same University in 2010 specialising in Baroque Studies, particularly architecture, its development and conservation. He has since been responsible for a number of conservation projects the most notable of which are Malta's oldest bell cast in 1370 formerly at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mdina, the historic jacquemarts and hemispherical bells of the Palace clock within the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, the Mausoleum of Grand Master Cotoner at St John's Co-Cathedral and the relocation of the Sette Giugno Monument also in Valletta. He was recently appointed as a consultant for the restoration of the Tritons' Fountain at Valletta's entrance. He currently is the Conservation Officer within the Heritage Planning Unit of the Planning Authority.
After an appeal for funds in November 2016 by Din l-Art Helwa, the restoration of the bells of the Church of Our Lady of Victories has now been completed principally thanks to the support of the ADRC Trust while the repair of the belfry was made possible through the generosity of the Malta Industrial Parks Ltd.
Admission to Kenneth Cauchi's talk is free of charge but donations to Din l-Art Helwa for the upkeep of the church would be greatly appreciated.