Floriana boasts a number of historical buildings, churches, gardens and monuments that shed light on Maltese history. Among these is the Maglio Gardens, better known to the Maltese as Il-Mall, conceived by the French Grand Master Jean Paul de Lascaris Castellar in 1656.
The area was restricted for the knights mainly to play the game pall-mall, hence the garden’s name- Vincent Zammit
This iconic garden, and specifically its many monuments, is now the focus of a conservation project being co-ordinated by Din l-Art Ħelwa.
Following persistent rumours of an impending Ottoman attack on Malta in the 1630s, the Order of St John had decided to upgrade the fortifications surrounding their capital city, Valletta. An Italian military engineer invited to Malta to evaluate the situation, Pietro Paolo Floriani, suggested the enhancing of the landward fortifications of Valletta.
Despite strong opposition, the lines of fortifications as recommended by Floriani were built, and eventually became known as the Floriana Lines. Soon afterwards, Grand Master Lascaris (1636-57) established an enclosed area meant “for the honest recreation” of the knights. This was the Maglio, a long stretch of ground, surrounded by a wall, where the knights could pursue their leisure activities.
It is believed that this area was restricted for the knights mainly to play the game known as pall-mall, from the Italian pallamaglio, hence the garden’s name. This game, which was very popular in the 17th century, was introduced in France in the early 14th century, where it was known as paille-maille.
Today, the gardens are different to the way the Knights had originally planned them. There are two parallel paths separated by ornamental trees, flowers, fountains and monuments, along the whole length.
Although the boundary wall around the area was meant to offer a sense of privacy to those within, for the local population it meant a long detour around the garden to cross from one side of Floriana to the other. Thus in 1871, a breach was made in the wall to allow those going to or leaving St Publius church to cross from one side to the other of the gardens without hindrance.
The end of the Order’s rule in Malta was to bring another change in the function of the gardens. During the administration of Sir Alexander Ball, in 1805, this place was turned into a public garden.
Among those who contributed to this transformation was the Rev. Carlo Giacinto, a Genoese Discalced Carmelite friar, who headed the chair of Botany at the University of Malta and was responsible for the botanical garden that was also located in Floriana.
The botanical garden, which had originally been set up in the 17th century in the ditch of Fort St Elmo, was reopened in Floriana, next to Sarria church, during the early years of British administration. It was around this time that Giacinto planted a number of trees and shrubs in the Maglio Gardens.
During one of the worst months of World War II, several bombs heavily damaged the perimeter wall, and after the war it was decided to dismantle the remaining structure as a safety measure.
Il-Mall, as it is generally known, today houses nine monuments to prominent Maltese personalities. Just in front of the main entrance to the gardens, one used to find the monument to Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. In 1989 this was replaced by the Independence monument.
On entering the gardens, the first monument one comes across is actually the first to be erected within the Maglio Gardens, namely that of Dr Aloisio Pisani (1806-1865). The monument was put up in 1867 and is the work of Giuseppe Darmanin.
Dr Pisani came from a family of illustrious medical doctors, and by 1826, at the age of 20, he had already graduated in medicine.
He led a very active professional life, and was deeply involved in combating the 1837 cholera epidemic.
The second monument erected at the gardens commemorates the Marquis Vincenzo Bugeja, a wealthy philanthropist and politician. For a number of years, Marquis Bugeja was the impresario of the Manoel Theatre.
Yet he is mostly remembered for his outstanding contribution to institutions dedicated to helping the poorer members of Maltese society, for which he was honoured by Pope Leo XIII and the Prince of Wales.
As a politician, he favoured the Reform Party, and made valid contributions towards amendments in commercial and criminal legislation. Bugeja died in 1890, while the monument, the work of Giulio Moschetti, was erected in 1897.
In 1904, a third monument was set up to honour the Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna (1856-1907). Marquis Scicluna was a banker and philanthropist who founded and maintained the Fra Diego Institute in Ħamrun, besides constructing a new residence for the growing number of female orphans who were housed at the institute.
Due to his commitment to various charitable works, it was decided to build the monument in his honour while he was still alive.
A nationwide fund-raising campaign for the purpose was started in 1901, and when enough money was collected, the monument was commissioned from the young sculptor Francesco Saverio Sciortino (1875-1958), brother of the more renowned Antonio, and produced in Tuscany.
Throughout the 20th century more monuments were erected at the Maglio Gardens, most of them to Maltese personalities, although one is to the memory of Giovanni di Nicolò Pappaffy, a Greek who lived in Malta and helped Maltese emigrants financially to enable them to settle abroad.
Another Maltese personality commemorated at the gardens is Sir Adrian Dingli (1817-1900). Born in Valletta, Sir Adrian Dingli made a name for himself in the legal field.
Dingli was involved in the drafting of the rules for the conduct of the meetings of the Council of Government.
In 1854 he was appointed Crown Advocate, and he immediately started working on the updating of Maltese laws. He was a well-respected jurist and was regularly consulted by the British administration.
Dingli was to be involved in many other political decisions taken during the second half of the 19th century. Eventually he was appointed Chief Justice, a post he retained until he retired in 1894.
Soon after his death in 1900 a committee was set up for the erection of a monument to this “distinguished statesman”. This was eventually inaugurated by King Edward VII in 1907, during an official visit to Malta. The monument is the work of the celebrated Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino (1879-1947).
The only non-Maltese commemorated with a monument at the Maglio Gardens is Giovanni Nicolò di Pappaffy (1792-1886). A Greek national, he arrived in Malta in 1810, at the age of 18.
He specialised in finance and was an importer of cereals and other foodstuffs.
Papaffy’s monument, however, recognises his efforts to help young Maltese who wanted to emigrate by setting up a fund, the Pappaffy Fund, which was still being used in 1961.
His monument was set up by the government in 1956, and is the work of Vincent Apap (1909-2003).
In 1963, a monument to Sir Ugo Mifsud (1889-1942) was inaugurated. Mifsud was both a successful lawyer as well as a politician.
As a politician, he successfully contested the first elections for the Legislative Assembly in 1921 as a candidate of the Unione Politica Maltese.
Mifsud went on to become Head of the Ministry (Prime Minister) for two terms. He was knighted in 1927.
Sir Ugo died two days after suffering a heart attack while delivering an impassioned speech in the Council of Government against the illegality of the arrest and deportation of a number of Maltese (among them his Nationalist Party co-leader, Enrico Mizzi) in 1942 by the British administration.
Sir Ugo’s monument, the sixth to be inaugurated at the Maglio Gardens, is the work of Vincenzo Apap.
The monument commemorating Sir Filippo Sceberras (1850-1928) was inaugurated in 1967.
Sceberras was a respected Maltese personality who in 1919 rallied the various political factions to meet and organise a National Assembly, which met under his chairmanship.
It was against the background of one of these meetings that the events of June 7, 1919 (known as Sette Giugno) took place. Eventually he helped to draft Malta’s first self-government Constitution, which was granted in 1921.
These monuments do more than just commemorate individuals- Vincent Zammit
Sir Filippo kept his distance from partisan politics, and for that reason he was well loved and respected. When he died in 1928 he was accorded a state funeral.
Another monument we find at the Maglio Gardens is the one commemorating Sir Luigi Preziosi (1888-1965).
An ophthalmologist by profession, he was internationally renowned for his expertise, as well as for his innovative operation in dealing with trachoma.
Sir Luigi was also involved in politics and contested the national elections more than once.
After the end of World War II he was appointed president of the National Assembly in preparation for the granting of a new constitution by the British government.
After he retired from politics, he dedicated himself to his profession. Five years after his death, a monument, the work of Vincent Apap, was inaugurated at the gardens.
The last monument to be erected at the Maglio Gardens was that of Sir Hannibal Scicluna (1880-1981). Among his many public appointments, Scicluna was director of Museums and librarian at the National Library.
He was also a prolific researcher and author, and a number of his publications, especially the one on St John’s Co-Cathedral, are still considered as important reference sources. He lived to the ripe old age of 101.
These monuments do more than just commemorate individuals. They are an important part of Malta’s social, political and artistic heritage, tracing the island’s development over more than a century.
Din l-Art Ħelwa, the national trust, is currently undertaking the conservation of all nine monuments with the financial support of Fimbank plc and the co-operation of the Floriana council and the Ministry of Culture.
The conservation work is being carried out by the Heritage Resco team.
The monuments are in various states of preservation, and while the conservation work is tackling the monuments individually, the main focus is on countering the effects of the natural weathering process, and in some cases, those of vandalism.