31 July 2017

The Head of the House of Romanoff visits the Republic of Malta, 13-17 June 2017

2017-06-14 Встреча Главы Дома Романовых с Президентом Мальты

From June 13 to June 17, 2017, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, visited the Republic of Malta. Her Imperial Highness arrived in Malta at the invitation of the Malta Branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, of which she is an honorary member. The visit was arranged by an Organizing Committee co-chaired by the Chairperson of the Malta Branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, Irina Vladimirovna Malikova, and by the former Maltese Ambassador to Russia, Dr. Joseph Cassar.

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On June 13, the Head of the House of Romanoff arrived in Malta from Madrid. That evening she met with members of her Chancellery and the Organizing Committee.

On June 14, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia visited the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Malta. Her Imperial Highness was greeted at the embassy by the Russian Ambassador to Malta, Vladimir Ardalionovich Malygin, and his wife, Tatiana Vladimorovna. The embassy hosted a formal Tea in honour of Her Imperial Highness, which was attended also by the official representative in Malta of the Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), Andrei Mikhailovich Muraviev. Afterward, a short investiture ceremony took place during which Vladimir Ardalionovich Malygin was awarded the Imperial Order of St. Anna and the Imperial commemorative medals “In Memory of the 400^th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff” and the “Anniversary of the Nation’s Victory, 1613-2913.” The Russian Ambassador presented the Grand Duchess and her party official invitations to the formal reception at the embassy that evening marking the Day of Russia national holiday.

From the embassy the Head of the Imperial House of Russia went to the Presidential San-Anton Palace, where her great-grandfather and great-grandmother, Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh, lived, and where in 1876 her grandmother, Princess Victoria Melita of Great Britain and Ireland—the future Empress-in-Exile Victoria Feodorovna—was born.

At the San Anton Palace, the Grand Duchess met the President of the Republic of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. Her Excellency and Her Imperial Highness discussed a range of topics, including the many historical ties between Russia and Malta, various charity projects involving the Imperial House and the Russian community in Malta, and the cultural cooperation between Russia and the Republic of Malta. Attending the meeting on the Maltese side were the Secretary to the President, Mr. Carmelo Briffa; the Chief of Staff, John Camilleri; the well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist Joseph Gauci; and Dr. Joseph Cassar.

During the meeting, President Coleiro Preca was awarded the Imperial Order of St. Anastasia the Alleviatrix of Captives and the Imperial commemorative medal “In Memory of the 400^th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff,” and the two exchanged commemorative gifts. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia also presented President Coleiro Preca a copy of the icon “Christ Immanuel” for the “Russian chapel” in the San Anton Palace, which was “written” at the famous “Sophia” icon workshop under the direction of Andrei Nikolaevich Shumikhin.

Then, in the presence of the President of Malta and the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, there followed the formal presentation of two paintings by the Foreign Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Igor Valerievich Babailov—one of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and the other of His Holiness Pope Francis.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca expressed her sincere regret that she did not have more time to spend with the Grand Duchess because of a conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) she had to attend in Geneva.

At the conclusion of the meeting with the President, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia toured the San Anton Palace and gardens, where she noted the marble plaque installed in 1898 in memory of the birth of Princess Victoria Melita of Great Britain and Ireland. Later the Grand Duchess visited the “Russian Chapel,” where Hieromonk Nikon (Levashev-Belavenets) sung the hymn “Memory Eternal” for Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Empress-in-Exile Victoria Feodorovna.

Then the Head of the House of Romanoff visited the Headquarters of the Maltese Association of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta, where she met with the President of the Association, the Noble Daniel de Petri Testaferrata, Marchesino of San Vincenzo Ferreri, and other knights of the Order of Malta. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia awarded Daniel de Petri Testaferrata the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaw and the Imperial commemorative medal “In Memory of the 400^th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff,” and also presented to him several books on the history of the House of Romanoff. The President of the Association in turn presented to the Grand Duchess several books on the History of the Order of Malta.

In the afternoon, the Grand Duchess visited the city of Marsaxlokk, famed for the brightly painted fishing boats (luzzus) that populate the town’s harbour. Then Her Imperial Highness visited the subterranean Megalithic-era Temple, the Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum, in the city of Paola.

That evening, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia attended a formal reception in the Russian Embassy held to mark the Day of Russia national holiday (June 12), where she met and spoke with the former Acting President of the Republic of Malta, Dolores Christina; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carmelo Abela; the former Maltese Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Dr. Mario Costa (whom the Grand Duchess first met in Moscow in 2008); a number of Russian and foreign diplomats and other government officials; and prominent members of Malta’s public and nobility.

On the way to the embassy, Her Imperial Highness, accompanied by the Rector of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostle Paul, Archpriest Dimitrii Netsvetaev, who had traveled for this occasion from Tunis, and the president of the parish council, Alexander Vladimirovich Kuryshev, toured the location of the future Orthodox church in Malta.

On June 15, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia visited the Ta’ Braxia cemetery, the oldest non-Catholic cemetery in Malta, where she paid tribute to the memory of her countrymen buried there. Her Imperial Highness greeted the leaders of the Friends of Ta’ Braxia Cemetery Society, to whom she awarded the Imperial commemorative medal “In Memory of the 100^th Anniversary of the Great War, 1914-1918.” She also was pleased at that time to accept their invitation to become the patron of the Society.

In the chapel at the cemetery Archpriest Dimitrii Netsvetaev, the rector of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostle Paul, served a Litiya service, commemorating the souls of members of the Russian community who had passed away far from home. The Grand Duchess placed a wreath at the image of the Holy Cross on the wall of the chapel, and placed flowers at the graves of her countrymen. She also donated a memorial table for requiem services, which had been brought from Russia by Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets).

Later, in the town of Floriana, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia placed a wreath at the monument to the soldiers who fell in the First and Second World Wars. The clergy also led those assembled in the singing of the hymn “Memory Eternal.”

Afterward, Her Imperial Highness went to the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Malta (Rossotrudnichestvo), where she toured the facilities and participated in the opening of a historical and art exhibition. The Grand Duchess awarded the Director of Centre, Andrei Mikhailovich Muraviev, the Imperial commemorative medal “In Memory of the 400^th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff.” The Grand Duchess also presented the organizers of her visit formal letters of thanks and appreciation, and commemorative medals, minted specially in honor of the first visit to Malta of the Head of the House of Romanoff. On the obverse side of the medal is depicted Grand Duchess Maria of Russia and her ancestors: her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland, and her grandmother, Empress-in-Exile Victoria Feodorovna. On the reverse is depicted the double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire with the Romanoff family coat of arms centered on its breast.

In the afternoon, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia toured the Casa Rocca Piccola Palace, where the ancestral owner of the palace, Nicholas de Piro d'Amico Inguanez, 9^th Marquis de Piro and 9^th Baron of Budach, gave Her Imperial Highness a personal tour of the palace. The Grand Duchess also attended a charity concert in the Cathedral of St. John in Valletta, arranged for her by the Maltese Association of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta, and later, a grand reception, again arranged for her by the Maltese Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

On June 16 Grand Duchess Maria of Russia visited the Ursuline Sisters of Malta in the town of Sliema, where she met with teachers and caregivers, led by Sister Roberta Spiteri, and donated a washing machine, which was procured in fulfillment of a request by the administrators of the orphanage.

Then the Head of the Imperial House of Russia met with His Grace the Most Reverend Charles Scicluna, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta. During their meeting, the Archbishop presented the Grand Duchess a medal commemorating the visit to Malta of Pope Benedict XVI. The Grand Duchess presented the Archbishop the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaw I Class and the Imperial medal “In Memory of the 400^th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff.” She also gave him several books on the history of the House of Romanoff.

In the afternoon, the Grand Duchess toured the Megalithic temples Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra.

After a short rest in her hotel, Her Imperial Highness went to the city of Mdina, where she toured the Cathedral of St. Paul; made a visit to the family of Carmelo Apap Bologna d’Amico Inguanez, Baron of Djar il-Bniet and Buqana; and toured other sites in the city. That evening, the Mayor of Mdina, Peter dei Conti Sant Manduca hosted a formal banquet in honour of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia. Before the dinner began, there was a short investiture ceremony during which the mayor was awarded the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaw and the Imperial medal “In Memory of the 400^th anniversary of the House of Romanoff.”

On June 17, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia toured the Archeological Museum of the Republic of Malta. Then Her Imperial Highness attended Orthodox services at the Eastern Rite Catholic Church of Our Lady of Damascus, where, after the Divine Liturgy, served by Archpriest Dimitrii Netsvetaev, Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets) and Fr. Sergei Kubyshkin of the Church of the Holy Trinity (Izmailovskii Sobor) in St. Petersburg, the clergy and people sang the hymn “Many Years” for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, and her Heir, the Tsesarevich and Grand Duke George of Russia.

The Head of the Imperial House of Russia awarded several Imperial orders and the Imperial medals “In Memory of the 400^th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff” to Archpriest Dimitrii Netsvetaev; the rector of the Church of Our Lady of Damascus, the Eastern-Rite Catholic priest, Fr. George Mifsud Montanaro; the former Maltese Ambassador to Russia, Joseph Cassar; and the businessman and philanthropist Joseph Gauci.

The Co-Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, Irina Malikova, presented the Grand Duchess a beautifully hand-crafted broach as a memento of her visit to Malta.

Then the Head of the Imperial House of Russia visited the Malta Postal Museum, where she participated in a presentation ceremony of a new postal stamp issued to commemorate Her Imperial Highness’s visit to Malta.

That afternoon, Her Imperial Highness toured the city of Birgu, including a visit to the historic Fort St. Angelo, and then took a scenic cruise on a yacht.

In the evening, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia departed Malta for Madrid, having thanked all involved in her trip for their warm hospitality and for all their work in making this visit such a complete success.

During the course of her visit to Malta, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia was accompanied by the Director of H.I.H.’s Chancellery, Alexander N. Zakatov; the advisor to the Chancellery for interregional and international affairs, Prince Vadim O. Lopukhin; the King of Arms and Director of the Office of Heraldry in the Chancellery, Stanislaw V. Dumin; the advisor to the Chancellery for historical and memorial activities, Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets); and by the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting, Princess E. N. Lopukhina.

And these on-line news reports:

Malta Today
Independent
Times of Malta