Victoria or Rabat? What’s in a name

As Gozo’s capital city celebrates its pre-selection as Gozo’s candidate for the 2031 European Capital of Culture, a debate has resurfaced about what the town should be called. The application was submitted under the name, Victoria, but some argue it should have been Rabat, the name many locals still use in everyday conversation.

The controversy gained traction on social media shortly after the announcement. While most people expressed pride that Victoria could represent Malta on a European stage, others took issue with the use of “Victoria,” describing it as a colonial label inherited from British rule.

Gozo-born photographer Daniel Cilia was among those who responded publicly. In a Facebook post that quickly circulated across local groups, Cilia congratulated those involved in the bid but reminded readers that the name Victoria was not imposed by the British, as some claim. He explained that in 1887, it was the people of Gozo themselves who petitioned to name their town Victoria, in honour of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

In his post, Cilia wrote that the name was “chosen by our forefathers, not by the English,” and that it was “considered an honour that the town should bear the name of the Queen of the British Empire.” He also clarified that Rabat was historically a suburb of the Terra, the Castrum or Cittadella, whereas Victoria refers to the wider area that includes Rabat and the outlying districts surrounding the old fortified centre.

When GozoToday met to discuss his post, Cilia explained that the name change reflected both ambition and identity rather than subservience to colonial power. “We’ve always been ambitious,” he said. “Gozo, being smaller, has always wanted to assert itself. The old city was the Cittadella, our version of the Medina. Naming the wider town Victoria was part of a broader effort to recognise Gozo as a city in its own right.”

According to Cilia, the decision was not arbitrary. He said that, at the time, both in the British Empire and in Italy, a settlement could only be recognised as a city if it had a bishop and a cathedral. “It wasn’t about population size,” he said. “It was about having a bishopric. When Gozo became a diocese directly under Rome, that gave it a cathedral, and therefore the right to be called a city. Naming it Victoria came soon after, and it was something the locals had pushed for.”

He noted that the initiative came from Gozitan professionals, lawyers, doctors, and civic leaders, who signed a petition asking the British Governor to grant city status and name the town Victoria. “When the British authorities approved it, they declared that Her Majesty had graciously consented to the suburb of Rabat being declared a city and renamed Victoria,” he said. “It was an honour that our forefathers sought out themselves.”

To many Gozitans, however, Rabat remained the name used in daily life. Cilia explained that even within Victoria, locals made distinctions between small neighbourhoods like il- Belliegħa, Rabat, Ta’ Ċawla, and Wied Sara among others. He said these communities formed naturally over time as families-built homes near each other, creating small clusters that became mini-villages within the city. “When I was young, I lived in il-Belliegħa,” he said. “My mother used to send me to my grandfather to Rabat. For us, saying ‘I’m going to Victoria’ from within Victoria just doesn’t sound right. The names are part of our daily language and identity.”

Cilia believes that confusion over the name often stems from how people interpret the relationship between Victoria and Rabat. “Both Belliegħa and Rabat form part of Victoria, but Belliegħa isn’t part of Rabat,” he explained. “It’s really simple when you look at it that way. Rabat is the old core; Victoria is the city as a whole.”

He also pointed out that similar naming patterns exist in other parts of Malta and abroad. “In Malta, people still say ‘mmorru il-Belt’ instead of ‘mmorru Valletta,’” he said. “It’s the same principle. Rabat is within Victoria, but Victoria is larger and includes it. You find similar examples in Italy too, like San Miniato Alto and San Miniato Basso, or Bergamo Alta and Bergamo Bassa. Historically, Rabat simply meant the area around the old city.” 

 For Cilia, the idea that the name Victoria is a colonial remnant misunderstands Gozo’s history. “Rabat came from the Arabic occupation,” he said. “So, if someone wants to say Victoria is colonial because it’s British, then Rabat is colonial because it’s Arabic. Both are part of our history. We can’t erase one part and keep the other. Rabat is the heart of Victoria, but the two are inseparable.”

Cilia acknowledged that emotions can play a strong role in these debates. “The issue isn’t the name itself, it’s how people react to it emotionally,” he said. “Some people online were criticising the use of ‘Victoria’ as if it were colonial propaganda. But it’s a historical fact. It’s a name chosen by our own people to elevate the island’s status.”

He also noted that the local council and official documents have long reflected the town’s dual identity. 

“When they wrote the laws for local councils, they called it Victoria/Rabat, but that’s not accurate,” he said. “You can’t just translate one into the other. Legally, the local council area is called Rabat in Maltese, but colloquially we all say Victoria. When we say Ġieħ il-Belt Victoria, that’s correct. Translating Victoria into Maltese as if it meant ‘victory’ would actually be wrong. It’s a proper name referring to Queen Victoria, not a Maltese word.”

Cilia argued that while people are free to prefer one name over another, it’s important to remember why the name Victoria was chosen. “It wasn’t imposed,” he said. “It was requested by our own representatives. The people who did that wanted Gozo to be seen as a city, as something greater. They couldn’t have imagined that, more than a century later, we’d be debating whether that name was right or wrong.”

The debate has also highlighted inconsistencies in how the name is used officially. Cilia pointed out that some government systems don’t even acknowledge Victoria. “On certain government websites, like the Planning Authority, you only find ‘Rabat Malta’ and ‘Rabat Gozo.’ It’s as if Victoria doesn’t exist,” he said. 

“That’s not correct historically or administratively. Victoria is the proper, legal name chosen by the Gozitans themselves.”

For him, the question goes beyond semantics. It touches on how Gozitans view their own identity in relation to the island’s history. “Victoria represents the ambition and pride of Gozitans who wanted to give their island its own city,” he said. “It wasn’t imposed by anyone. It was an expression of who they were.”

As Gozo moves forward in its European Capital of Culture bid, the conversation about the town’s name has become a reflection of how the island balances pride in its past with a vision for its future. Whether called Victoria or Rabat, the city remains the cultural heart of Gozo, a place shaped by centuries of history, faith, and community spirit.

For Cilia, that unity matters more than the name itself. “Names carry history,” he said. “Victoria and Rabat both belong to us. They tell our story. What’s important is that we continue to celebrate who we are, whatever name we use.”