Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna said that it welcomes the Government’s success in securing the temporary return to Malta from France of the De Valette sword and dagger. These two historic artefacts carry a deep and great significance in the collective memory of the Maltese nation.

They were presented to Grand Master Jean De Valette, the hero of the Great Siege of 1565, by King Philip II of Spain as a sign of gratitude for the Order’s role in stemming the Ottoman domination of Europe.

Ever since their removal as prize of war from the island by the French in 1798, successive generations of Maltese have ceaselessly longed for their return.

FWA said that it “is therefore with great satisfaction to note that after two centuries this long-standing wish is to become reality, even if for a definite period.”

Permalink: FWA welcomes return of the De Valette Sword and Dagger