The image of the Madonna del Fileremo, patroness of the Order of Malta, was unveiled in a ceremony on October 22nd in the Vatican Gardens.

Thanks to the initiative and generosity of the late Ambassador of the Order of Malta to the Philippines, Odelia Gregorio Arroyo, it was possible to create, through the art of Maestro Roberto Cassio, an artistic mosaic depicting the icon of the Mother of God, venerated by members of the Order of Malta.

In addressing those present, the Lieutenant of the Grand Master, Fra’ Marco Luzzago, expressed his great emotion at taking part in this brief but significant ceremony. It fills my heart, said the Lieutenant, and I am sure that of all the members of the Order, to know that from today our venerated Blessed Virgin of Mount Philermos – protector of the Order of Malta since the time of her stay in Rhodes – will turn her benevolent gaze on the pilgrims who come to visit these places that represent the center of world Christianity.
Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, Special Delegate of the Pope to the Order of Malta, recalled the importance of the figure of the Mother of God for the members of the Order, and the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Philermos, whose original icon is preserved today in Cetinje in Montenegro. ‘A very ancient symbol of uninterrupted faith, peace and brotherhood, the Holy Virgin of Mount Philermo today stands in a place so close to the See of Peter and the center of the Universal Church.’

The President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Monsignor Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, wanted to bring a message of hope in his speech when he said that ‘this inauguration was supposed to come a year ago to commemorate the ninety years of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Order of Malta, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic this was not possible. However, the fact that we are here today is a sign that the pandemic does not have the last word: it may win some battles, but not the final challenge’.

The Ambassador of the Order of Malta to the Holy See Antonio Zanardi Landi – after thanking the Governorate for its availability and precious collaboration – underlined how ‘the icon of the Madonna del Fileremo is a condensation of almost a thousand years of European and Mediterranean history, of Greek, Byzantine, Christian and Catholic tradition. Over the centuries it has been venerated in Rhodes, Malta, Rome, Viterbo, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Belgrade. She has traveled and inspired brethren and non-brethren alike for nearly a thousand years. She represents one of the essences of Europe and today we find ourselves not only in the center of the universal Church but also in the center of European culture and art: there is no great artist who has not left his mark in St. Peter’s Basilica, in the papal apartments, in the Vatican Museums. I consider very beautiful the fact – continued the ambassador – that this image is here on the initiative of a Philippine ambassador, a country from which we are separated by a 12-hour flight. This represents the universality and internationalisation that the Order of Malta has been able to experience over the last century.

The mosaic was blessed by the Prelate of the Order of Malta, Monsignor Jean Laffitte. Numerous ambassadors accredited to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta attended the ceremony.