An €850,000 lighting revamp of the Mosta Dome has been completed, with the new light system inaugurated on Friday evening in a glitzy ceremony. 

The six-figure lighting upgrade was financed through the National Development and Social Fund, which disburses money saved from the sale of Maltese passports to wealthy investors, 

First announced in August 2021, the new lighting system uses energy-efficient LED bulbs and can be altered to suit specific occasions. The project was spearheaded by Franck Franjou, a lighting designer who was also involved in lighting Renzo Piano’s City Gate project in Valletta. 

Fireworks were let off as the Rotunda lit up for the first time using the new system, as dignitaries looked on. 

NDSF governing board member James Grech told the audience that the €850,000 in funding dedicated to the project were intended to enhance the Mosta Dome’s historical, cultural and artistic value. 

Mosta Parish priest Bastjan Caruana described the project as a “dream come true” and said many people within the Church and government had worked together to see the project to fruition. 

The project would foster pride within the Mosta community, he said, and was a boon to those of the Catholic faith as well as those who appreciate national architectural heritage. 

The government was represented on the occasion by Labour MP Alex Muscat. Muscat, whose constituency includes Mosta, was the junior minister responsible for allocating funding to the project  when it was first announced in 2021. 

Muscat noted that the previous lighting system was decades old and out-of-date. The Mosta Dome attracts flocks of tourists every year, he noted, with close to one million visitors in previous years.