Fr. George Aquilina OFM, historian and archivist of the Maltese Franciscan Province, has just returned from Rome, where he attended the official launching of the Italian edition of his monumental history of the Nunnery of Saint Ursola in Valletta. Fr. George, who is the chaplain of this Monastery, has written this work after spending more than 25 years delving into the Archives of the Monastery, those of the Order of Saint John at the National Library, the Archives of the Cathedral, and the Secret Archives of the Vatican, together with other Archives in Palermo.

The official launching was honored by the presence of the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, His Royal Highness Prince Andrew Bertie, together with many outstanding personages from the Order. The Monastery of Nuns of Saint Ursola in Valletta was founded in 1584 by Grand Master Hugh Lubens de Verdalle, and the nuns form the female branch of the Order of Saint John. They have been present in Malta ever since, even after the departure of the Order from the Islands in 1798, when Napoleon took over Malta and Gozo. They have continued to live in the monastery during the British era, their monastery was bombed during World War II and was rebuilt as it is today. The church of the monastery boasts a masterpiece by Mattia Preti, depicting the martyrdom of Saint Ursola.

The original edition of the monumental history was written in Maltese and was launched on 19 October 2005 in the presence of the President of the Republic of Malta, Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami. The book has been translated into Italian and reprinted under the auspices of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, in the Republic of Malta. The same book is now going to be translated into English. It has already won the admiration of scholars in Malta and abroad.