Victoria & GozoTop left
Mirrors the coat of arms of Victoria, Gozo: a gold trimount of three hills, for Gozo's hilly landscape, against a blue sky. Above it is a gold chief with the red letters VR, for the city's naming after Queen Victoria in 1887.
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The Crest
The elements above the shield: our city, our faith, and the families we come from.
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The Mural CrownVictoria & the Cittadella
A golden walled crown, which in European and Maltese heraldry stands for a fortified city or capital. It pays tribute to Victoria (Rabat) and the ancient walled Cittadella.
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Santa MariaOur Lady of the Assumption
The Virgin Mary in prayer with a halo of twelve stars. She anchors the crest in the family's devotion to Santa Maria, patron of the Gozo Cathedral inside the Cittadella and the centrepiece of Victoria's August festa.
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The White StagSchembri
A white stag with a red pennant in its antlers, taken from the Schembri coat of arms. It honours the family's Schembri roots and stands for nobility, peace and swiftness.
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The Black BirdTal-Nigret
A black bird, like a raven or crow. It is a nod to In-Nigret (from nigru, "black" or "dark") and the family's deep ties to the Tal-Nigret lineage, and stands for wisdom, foresight and vigilance.
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The Four Quarters of the Shield
Each quarter honours a place or institution at the heart of family life in Gozo.
Żebbuġ & MarsalfornTop right
Combines the civic crests of Żebbuġ and Marsalforn: three gold five-pointed stars on a red band, above a blue inner shield with a silver serpent coiled around a staff. It links the coastal village of Marsalforn with its historic mother parish of Żebbuġ.
The Leone Band ClubBottom left
A golden lion rampant holding an ornate golden lyre, on deep crimson. It honours the Soċjetà Filarmonika Leone of Victoria, joining the club's lion with the lyre of music and the red and gold of the festa of Santa Maria.
Marsalforn & Ta' PinuBottom right
The luzzu on Mediterranean waves honours Marsalforn, the seaside bay where the family has its holiday homes and has gathered for generations whenever visiting Gozo.
Ta' Pinu rises beside the shore: the façade and bell tower of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu, a sanctuary held especially close to the family's heart.
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The Frame & Motto
What surrounds the shield ties it to Malta and to the land.
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Scrollwork & Maltese Crosses
A Baroque border of gold and carved limestone, with an eight-pointed Maltese Cross on each side. It roots the crest in the wider history of the Maltese islands.
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Laurel & Olive
Laurel on the left, for honour, achievement and cultural pride. Olive branches with dark olives on the right, for peace, Mediterranean roots and the farming heritage of In-Nigret.
Along the bottom, a ribbon banner carries the family laqam, the nickname handed down through the generations: Tal-Midliel.
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Our Roots
In Gozo, families are known by their laqam, a nickname passed from parents to children that says who you are and where you belong. Ours is Tal-Midliel, and our crest gathers the people, places and faith that the name carries.
We come from Victoria, under the walls of the Cittadella, and from the Schembri and Tal-Nigret families whose stories are part of ours. Our faith centres on Santa Maria, whose August festa fills Victoria with red and gold, and on the sanctuary of Ta' Pinu. The Leone Band Club, with its music, is part of that festa and of our family pride.
And there is always Marsalforn: the bay where the family has gathered for generations, where summers are spent and where everyone comes home to whenever we are back in Gozo.
- Tal-Midliel
- Schembri
- Tal-Nigret
- Victoria
- Marsalforn
- Żebbuġ
- Ta' Pinu
- Leone