Yesterday's walk in Zejtun got me as far as the statue of St Gregory the Great which is on the outskirts of one of the oldest towns in Malta. I had seen this statue on other occasions and always wondered why it was facing a field rather than the church which is to its left or simply face the road which leads to it. The Zejtun Heritage group has now put an info card next to the statue which explains its orientation: it is facing the old capital of Malta Mdina. It was made in 1837 in local stone which unfortunately is deteriorating due to weather. Intricate work can still be seen on the mitre and cathedra.
On the 12th March (St. Gregory’s day) , a national pilgrimage used to be held from far away Mdina (thus the statue's orientation). Up to 1930 this was one of the great occasions of the Maltese religious and cultural calendar.
All parishes represented by their numerous clergy and members of their confraternities marched behind their standards, all the eighteen kilometers from the Mdina Cathedral in the north to the old Żejtun parish (dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria) in the south.
I framed the statue using a nearby tree which eliminated electrical wires and a lamp post.
