Queen Marie of Romania was commemorated on 24 October at San Anton Palace, Malta’s Presidential Palace, during an event hosted by President Myriam Spiteri Debono and attended by members of the Romanian community and children from the Romanian Orthodox Parish School in Valletta, the Maltese capital.
Those attending included Assistant Bishop Maxim of Danubius of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy; Eugen Roșca, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Romanian Embassy in Italy, which is also accredited to Malta and San Marino; Lino Bianco, former Maltese Ambassador to Romania and current Ambassador of Malta to Bosnia and Herzegovina; Fr George-Alexandru Popescu, parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox community of St John the Baptist in Valletta; and members of the Romanian community.
The event, entitled Queen Marie of Romania – Faith, Family and Identity: A Bridge Between Romania and Malta, was held under the patronage of the President of Malta and commemorated the 140th anniversary of Queen Marie of Romania’s arrival in Malta in 1886.
Faith is passed on within the family
Assistant Bishop Maxim of Danubius conveyed a message of blessing and gratitude on behalf of Bishop Siluan of Italy, thanking those who support the Romanian community.
The bishop emphasised that, in a world marked by individualism and increasingly fragile human relationships, the family remains a community of life and love, blessed by God, in which faith, responsibility, forgiveness and communion are cultivated.
“Children learn to pray by watching their parents pray, and they discover God’s love through the love they receive.”
The bishop also recalled the witness of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, the holy women martyrs, venerable monastic women and Christian mothers.
He stressed that holiness is the calling of every Christian and can be cultivated both in monastic life and within the family, through prayer, raising children and serving others.
A moment of cultural diplomacy
A highlight of the event was the cultural and artistic programme prepared by children from the Romanian Orthodox parish.
Dressed in traditional Romanian costumes, they presented aspects of Romania and Malta’s shared history in Maltese and English, alongside songs and other artistic performances.
“Through presentations in Maltese and English, tailored for children, as well as traditional Romanian attire and music, the event celebrated the values of family, faith, hospitality, cultural heritage, and the friendship between Malta and Romania,” President Myriam Spiteri Debono wrote on Facebook.
Parish priest Fr George-Alexandru Popescu presented the President of Malta with an icon of the Holy Great Martyr George.
The project and the local parish
The event formed part of a wider project funded by Romania’s Department for Romanians Abroad, entitled Romanian Identity and Culture in the Diaspora in Malta.
The project also provides for the distribution of 400 Romanian cultural identity packages, intended to help preserve and promote the Romanian language, culture and traditions among diaspora communities.
The Romanian Orthodox Parish in Valletta, dedicated to the Nativity of St John the Baptist, worships at St Rocco Church on St Ursula Street.
Fr George-Alexandru Popescu also occasionally celebrates services at St Enrico Mizzi in Ir-Rabat (Victoria), on the island of Gozo.
This was the fourth time that children from Malta’s Romanian Orthodox community had been invited to San Anton Palace.
A former President of Malta also visited the Romanian Orthodox parish in Valletta, describing the Romanian community as an example of successful integration.
Around Christmas 2024, children from the Romanian Orthodox parish school in Valletta sang Christmas carols at the palace’s Orthodox chapel, known as the Russian Chapel, a place associated with Queen Marie of Romania’s childhood.
Queen Marie and Malta
The chapel served as a place of prayer for Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and her daughter, Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the future Queen Marie of Romania, during the family’s holidays in Malta.
Queen Marie, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Tsar Alexander II of Russia, first arrived in Malta at age 11.
Her father, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, was then commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet.
Queen Marie remembered Malta fondly, describing it as “the paradise of our childhood”.
In her memoirs, she recalled the beauty of the gardens of San Anton Palace, filled with flowers, particularly daffodils and orange trees in blossom, whose fragrance delighted her.
