18th century monument restored

The Victory Monument in the main square in Vittoriosa has been restored by the Cottonera Rehabilitation Project at a cost of Lm8,000.

The project was carried out under the direction of Ray Bondin, the project's executive coordinator.

However, the project, or rather the failure to restore the damaged marble base of the monument was criticised by historian Lorenzo Zahra.

In the recent restoration of Couvre Porte of Vittoriosa, the carving in the stone work that was badly eroded has not been replaced either, Mr Zahra said.

"Is this because there are no craftsmen skillful enough to carry out such work?" Mr Zahra wondered. Many Vittoriosa residents and visitors have also asked the same question, Mr Zahra said in an interview.

However, when contacted Dr Bondin explained that the emphasis these days was on conservation not restoration. This means that one kept as much of the original as possible rather than replacing those parts that were broken or that had faded away through erosion.

"Up till 10 years ago, the practice was to change all those parts that were eroded or broken but the good practice now is to change as little as possible of the original," Dr Bondin said.

The monument recalling the victory over the Muslim forces in the Great Siege of 1565 was put up in 1706 with money set aside by the members of the Università, the governing body of Vittoriosa at the time.

The statue, made of soft limestone, used to be painted every two years in green paint. The paint - about 41 layers of it applied over the years - has now been removed as part of the restoration process.

The statue has been treated with chemicals to preserve it from erosion.

According to Mr Zahra, the Victory monument represents the first instance where Malta is shown as an allegory of a victorious warrior. Malta was depicted as a young woman holding a shield in her left hand, a sword in her right and battle head gear.

The column holding the statue has a coat of arms on each of the four sides.

When the French arrived in Malta in 1798, ousting the Order of the Knights of St John, the French soldiers went to Vittoriosa to celebrate Republic Day after they had defaced the monument by wrenching the coat of arms that were displayed on its base.

The base of the monument used to serve as a communal water spout pumping out water from an underground cistern.

With the arrival of the British forces in 1800, the place of one of these coat of arms was taken up by the British heraldic arms. In 1945, drunken British naval officers stole the sword from the statue, which has not been replaced.

When contacted, Vittoriosa mayor John Boxall said that a replica of the sword which was in the possession of the local council would not be put back on the statue because its weight would damage the figure.

During the September 8 celebrations marking the 1565 Great Siege and the blitz of the Second World War, the statue used to be decorated and highlighted with electric bulbs.

In order to preserve the statue, no more decorations would be permitted, Mr Boxall said.

An information plate on a stand will be placed close to the statue giving details about the monument. The monument will also be lit according to instructions by the Cottonera Rehabilitation Project.

The restoration of the Victory monument is part of a long-term conservation project in Victory Square.

The conservation project will include the statue of St Lawrence, the façade of the St Lawrence band club, an archaeological dig to check the state of the foundations of the watch tower that was destroyed during WW II and the repaving of the square.