St Pope Zachary I pedestal restored
The pedestal underwent its first major restoration in 2000
One of the main projects carried out by the Għaqda Armar San Ġorġ Martri for this year’s feast, which will be celebrated in Victoria on Sunday, was the restoration of the monumental pedestal in Independence Square (It-Tokk) that supports the statue of St Pope Zachary I.
The pedestal was originally built in 1922. It closely resembles the pedestal of the city’s St George, although it is slightly shorter in height. Its carved brackets, while smaller in scale, are faithful copies of those found on the St George pedestal.
The pedestal underwent its first major restoration in 2000. This was carried out by Raymond Mizzi together with several dedicated supporters, while the marbling effect was executed by Joseph Cauchi.
During this restoration, the shaft panels were enriched with new carved decorations by Silvio Pace, all of which were gilded. The traditional oil lamps were replaced with four wrought-iron arms fitted with illuminated decorative glass globes. Complementing these were four turned wooden urns crafted by Ino Attard.
During the restoration process, the date 1922 was discovered on the cornice, confirming the year in which both the pedestal and the statue of St Pope Zachary I were created.
This year, the pedestal underwent another extensive restoration under the direction of the għaqda’s president, Raymond Farrugia.
Originally, the pedestal consisted of numerous individual sections, making it more vulnerable to damage and requiring considerable time to assemble. To improve both its structural integrity and ease of installation, it was decided to reconstruct it into just two principal sections: the base and the shaft.
Once the structural modifications were completed, the entire pedestal received a protective anti-woodworm treatment followed by a primer coat. This phase of the project was carried out by Leli Attard, Ġorġ Pisani, Mark Farrugia, and Mario Attard.
The decorative elements were then carefully dismantled, stripped of their old gilding, and meticulously repaired where necessary. This delicate work was undertaken by Manuel Attard. The new gilding of both the pedestal and its carved ornamentation was executed by Christian Debono, while the shading and finishing were carried out by Kurt Cutajar.
As part of this restoration, Joseph Cauchi designed a new set of ornamental vases complete with decorative brackets for the pedestal. The wooden vases were crafted by Joseph Vella, their decoration was executed by Michael Cutajar Zahra, and the brackets were manufactured by Johnny Micallef.
This year the pedestal will be erected without its marble-effect cladding. This final phase of the project will resume after the feast, when the marble decoration will be completed, allowing the pedestal to regain its full splendour.
This restoration project was carried out with the support of the Artistic Heritage Scheme.