Anniversaries 1997 - New stamp issue

Three anniversaries are being commemorated on the 10th July with the issue of six stamps.

The anniversaries are the 100th anniversary of the birth of actor Joseph Calleia, the 50th anniversary of the death of sculptor Antonio Sciortino, and the 300th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Gozo Cathedral.

Born in August 1887, Joseph Calleia left Malta for England in 1914, presumably to continue his studies, and ended up organising vaudeville acts on Broadway two years later.

Calleia made a name for himself in Hollywood, appearing in 57 films under some of America's finest directors and opposite many famous screen personalities.

His films have included Public Hero Number One, Algiers and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Calleia retired to Malta in 1963 and died in October, 1975.

Sculptor Antonio Sciortino, a native of Zebbug, was admitted to the "Istituto Reale di Belle Arti" in Rome when he was just 17, for a course in Engineering and Monumental Architecture.

During his sojourn in Italy, Sciortino set up a studio in Via Margutta, which was visited by many celebrities and distinguished personalities.

Sciortino's first success was with "Les Gavroches", which can be seen at the Upper Barracca Gardens in Valletta. Another success is the statue of Christ the King, commemorating the 24th World Eucharistic Congress held in Malta in 1913.

Sciortino eventually returned to Malta and took up the post of Curator of Fine Arts at the Malta Museum.

Before his death, Sciortino bequeathed his original plaster models to the people of Malta. These can be viewed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta.

The baroque Gozo Cathedral has dominated the sister island's landscape for the past three centuries. Its foundation stone was laid in a pompous ceremony on the 21st September 1697.

The Cathedral is dedicated to Santa Marija, the Assumption of our Lady into Heaven. On the 16th September 1864 Pope Pius IX established the church as the Cathedral of the newly founded diocese of Gozo and Comino.

The Cathedral was raised on designs by the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa', who introduced the baroque style in Malta after his training in Rome. It is a delightful example of Mediterranean baroque.

The Cathedral dominates the Citadel's only square by its very presence and by the monumental flight of steps up which it is approached.

The interior carries all of Gafa's characteristics: groups of tall pilasters raised on high bases, rich entablature and carved attic. The end result is a spatially modest interior giving an impression of muted magnificence.

These new issues have the following denominations:

Joseph Calleia - 6c and 22c

Antonio Sciortino - 1c and 16c

Gozo Cathedral - 6c and 11c

The issues, which have been designed by the Graphic Design Section, are available from all Branches and Sub-Post Offices and also from Trade Fair Stand N 62 at Naxxar.