The Victoria local council has embarked on a restoration project of five statues adorning St Augustine church parvis.

The project is being done by restorer Rudolph Cauchi, under the supervision of architect Edward Scerri and monitored by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. St Augustine is the third of five statues restored. The other two are St Thomas of Villanova and St Nikola of Tolentine.

According to archivist Fr Peter Paul Cachia, the statue of St Augustine was sculpted in limestone by master Giovanni Caruana on October 10, 1771; the architect was Giuseppe Bonnici.

During that period, Bonnici began the building of the church of St Augustine in Valletta. It was then continued by Antonio Cachia.

In the Augustinian Priory archives one finds: “In October 1771, 42 onze were paid to the sculptor Mro Giovanni Caruana for his labour done in the two stone statues, one of the Holy Father St Augustine and the other of the Blessed Virgin of the Good Counsel. The total coast was 68 onze, 2 onze and 29 tari were paid for transport from the mine. Forty onze were paid by certain devotees and benefactors having promised them before the order was given to Mro Giovanni Caruana, where they have now fulfilled their vow”.

According to Fr Cachia, sculptor Anton Busuttil of Rabat (Malta), nicknamed ‘Zarm Anglu’, assisted by his son Franco, sculpted three statues in limestone, namely St Thomas of Villanova, Our Lady of the Belt and St Nikola of Tolentine in 1869, while Caruana sculpted the statue of St Augustine and the statue of Our Mother of Good Counsel, placed on the main door of the church.

The restoration project is being funded by the Gozo Ministry and the Eco-Gozo Directorate.