The Church of Our Lady of Victory is located just a few metres from Valletta's City Gate. To see this church, you have to pass the small square just outside the gate and turn right behind it. The church is opposite another famous local church consecrated in honour of St Catherine.
According to historical chronicles, the Church of Our Lady of Victory is considered to be the first church to appear in Malta's capital city. Moreover, local guides assure that it was the construction of this church that started the city of Valletta. In the distant 1565, the Grand Master of the Order Jean Parisot de La Valette, celebrating his victory over the Turkish army, decided to build a small chapel here. The foundation stone was laid in 1566. Under it were later found commemorative medals and a letter for the next generations, where the date of the beginning of the construction of the church. The church was designed by the architects Francesco Laparelli and Girolamo Cassara. For a decade, until the construction of St John's Cathedral, the Church of Our Lady of Victory was the main church in the capital. Here the Grand Master of La Vallette found his final resting place. As is well known, his remains were later moved to Valletta Cathedral.
In 1699, during the reign of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccafula, the apse of the church was enlarged. In 1716, Perellos invited the Maltese artist Alessio Erardi to paint the ceiling of the church. It depicted scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This work was completed two years later. In 1752 the sacristy, the bell tower and the priest's house were enlarged. The facade acquired a magnificent baroque look. A bronze bust of Pope Innocent XII was installed on the facade. In the second half of the 18th century, two other altars were installed in the church in addition to the existing altars of St John the Baptist and St Paul.
