The Lands and Restoration departments have teamed up with Floriana Council to safeguard the historic granaries in Floriana.

Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, who attended the signing of an agreement between the three entities, said that while Il-Fosos (St Publius Square) would continue to be used as they currently are, measures needed to be taken to avoid any harm to them.

The Restoration Department will therefore investigate the state of the structures to form the basis for future inspections before and after events are held there. 

Lands Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who was also present for the signing, said he looked forward to a similar arrangement for other large public spaces.

While the government in its official statement said that the granaries in St Publius Square were built by the Knights, they were actually built under the orders of Governor Richard More O’Farrell between 1847 and 1851, copying the style of other granaries built by the knights in Valletta and Floriana.  They consist of 76 large, bell-like structures built to keep grain within them airtight and fresh. Each structure is topped by large, circular stones. 

The granaries were still in use up to the 1960s when modern silos took their place.