When the Order of St John made Malta and its adjacent islands their home, they started to fortify Birgu and after the Great Siege of 1565 the built Valletta and fortified it. These cities were built close to the sea to be able to defend the island from Turkish fleets attacking from the sea. In contrast to Malta, Gozo’s fortified city was inland. The...
As part of its restoration programme to secure landmarks for the nation, Din l-Art Helwa has restored the ‘De Vilhena’ Lion statue in East Street corner with Archbishop Street, Valletta. When Valletta was being planned by the Order of the Knights of St. John, one of the regulations regarding building was that corners had to be embellished...
This Gate is set back along the main arterial road from St Paul’s Bay to Mellieha. It was the principal gateway to an estate set up in 1607 by Grand Master de Wignacourt to collect money for the ransom of slaves, through a Foundation known as the ‘Monte di Redenzione degli Schiavi’, said to have been inspired by a Lenten...
This is one of a number of vedettes (watchposts) constructed at strategic points along the bastions. It is located on the Valletta bastions opposite the Central Bank of Malta and St James Cavalier. These vedettes, known as gardjoli in Maltese, were constructed by the Order of St John at strategic points along the bastions. This watchpost commands sweeping views of the...
In 1610 Grand Master Wignacourt initiated a project to channel much-needed water to Valletta from the natural water springs in Rabat. A system of acqueducts were built which still bear his name. A number of fountains were then built in Valletta to receive the water, and the Wignacourt Fountain, built in 1615, is one of them. This fountain was originally...
The picturesque 17th-century fountain in Lunzjata Valley, a well loved landmark in Kercem, Gozo, was restored in 2007 by Din l-Art Helwa in a joint project with the Kercem Local Council. The restoration was made possible with the generous support of the Alfred Mizzi Foundation who sponsored the work. The fountain, which had suffered the decay of time and erosion, was...
The well known Ghajn Razul Fountain in St. Paul’s Bay, just past the Veccia, was restored for the second time in 2009 by Din l-Art Helwa. This project is part of Din l-Art Helwa’s ongoing restoration of local landmarks and was funded by the heritage organisation’s own Restoration Fund and the St. Paul’s Bay Local Council. The...
The monument commemorating the Great Siege of 1565, an Antonio Sciortino masterpiece, was the focus of a conservation initiative which aimed to preserve this major Valletta landmark for future generations. The project was sponsored by Malta-based trade finance institution FIMBank plc and coordinated by heritage NGO Din l-Art Helwa. This well-known sculpture, which is located opposite the Law Courts in Republic...
