Another labour of love

This morning the President of Malta inaugurates a rehabilitated forecourt of Vilhena Palace in Mdina. It is another work of love carried out by persons who care for our country's historical and artistic heritage. It is the fruit of intensive work that has been carried out over the past months.

The present government has introduced a system whereby fortified cities in Malta are given a recurrent and a capital expenditure vote. Within my ministry, we carry out this commitment through three rehabilitation projects that have been set up.

Ten years ago, we began with the Valletta Rehabilitation Project, since then expanded to incorporate Floriana within its remit. Eight years ago, I had decided to expand the concept to Cottonera and three and a half years ago, I opted to go one further - and set up the Mdina Rehabilitation Project.

The indefatigable Ray Bondin is the executive co-ordinator of all projects. He carries out his work in liaison with three different advisory committees set up by the Ministry to oversee works in the different areas, with respective local councils and with various entities within the ministry that can offer the necessary helping hand. I believe our heartfelt gratitude is due to Ray for making it happen and for excelling in his continuous zeal and personal initiative.

This is particularly true of the project being inaugurated this morning. Through Ray's own network of contacts, financing was appropriately acquired from the Portuguese Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which has provided Lm46,000 for this project.

This foundation concentrates on Portuguese connections, and the Vilhena Palace in Mdina was accepted as a good choice for their field of interest since it was built by Portuguese Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena around 1730, as his magisterial residence outside Valletta, most probably to the design of the eminent Maltese architect Giovanna Barbara.

It forms part of and partly replaces a building dating back to Grand Master L'Isle Adam, which was the seat of the Municipium or town hall, the seat of the Università.

The Università had control over most of the internal affairs of the country, and could impose and collect taxes, administer justice and appoint judges. The law courts were presided over by the Captain of the Rod, as may still be seen from an inspection on the doorway of one of the main halls in the palace. The prison of the Old City forms part of the basement of the palace.

The building, which now seats Mdina's council, as well as the Mdina Rehabilitation Committee, was used as a temporary hospital during the cholera outbreak of 1837. In 1858 it was used by the British Army in Malta as a hospital for eye diseases and was converted two years later into a home for convalescing troops.

The government of Malta took over the building in 1908 and it was inaugurated as a sanatorium by King Edward VII in 1909 when it was named the Connaught Hospital after the Duke of Connaught, the King's brother, who had contributed money for the purpose. It was finally closed down as a hospital in 1956.

Vilhena Palace consists of three floors round a courtyard with a series of open arches on two sides. The main façade has a very fine doorway, richly decorated, and with the arms and bust of Vilhena - themselves recently renovated by the Rehabilitation Project through Sante Guido, who has worked with Italian restorers as well as Maltese restorer Jenny Agius - as the principal features.

That courtyard has now been rehabilitated with the financial and technical assistance provided by the Calouste Gulbebkian Foundation. Particular thanks are due to the foundation's trustee Dr Jose Blanco, the head of the International Division, Joao Pedro Garcia, as well as Joao Campos, the foundation's architect who has provided us with the designs for the rehabilitation of the courtyard. The three distinguished gentlemen are joining us for this morning's inauguration.

They are not the only three representatives of the foundation. Believing correctly that one should see to the cultural dimension of such projects from a wider perspective, they have come to Malta with an orchestra and choir numbering over 100 persons. Yesterday evening, they performed a remarkable Te Deum at the Manoel Theatre, and on Friday the choir performed a cappella at St John's Co-Cathedral. Theirs have been magnificent performances that have been well received by all persons present. It has been a way of offering thanks for a restoration job well carried out and which makes us more proud of our national heritage and artistic wealth.

The Vilhena Palace Forecourt Project, carried out by the Mdina Rehabilitation Project in full collaboration with the Mdina council, is a symbol of the renaissance of Malta's most ancient walled city. For years we have referred to it as the Silent City. It is now visited by thousands from within and outside our own shores, who wish to discover more about Malta's history.

The restoration of this forecourt is a reflection on the majesty of our ancient city. It has been transformed from an area covered with concrete, a small garden on one side and aquaria on the other side, into a dignified space that reflects the architectural beauty of this palace. The use of Maltese hardstone and Portuguese marble that has been purposely imported, enhanced further by the donation of 250-year old olive trees by the descendants of the Manoel de Vilhena family, reflect the cultural and historical links between Portugal and Malta. This space, ideal for hosting cultural events of the highest calibre, can now be "read" as a square.

Last Friday, in the presence of Mrs Luisa Manoel de Vilhena, it was my privilege to inaugurate a rehabilitated Vilhena monument in Floriana, after months of hard work. We felt that it was appropriate to inaugurate this monument on Friday as a further celebration of the Vilhena forecourt project.

The Mdina Rehabilitation Project within my ministry has not only been focusing on the Vilhena Palace forecourt but is also dealing with a very ambitious project - clearing the walls of this old city of all wiring and placing it in trenches below street level. This project, which like all others of such an extensive nature is bound to cause a measure of inconvenience, is well under way.

Opening up trenches in Mdina has also meant uncovering former layers of our ancient city's former history - from Roman to Punic times. We have asked a team of young archaeologists to be on site round the clock and they have helped us unearth remains including parts of columns pertaining to a Roman house as well as remains of the former walls of Mdina. Some of the remains will be placed in a museum to be set up in Mdina itself while others will remain visible below ground level as we shall in the future be uplighting them and covering them with glass.

This project will include paving the streets. Hundreds of thousands of liri need to be spent, but it is money well spent on bringing to light national treasures of which we have so far not been sufficiently aware. Next year, the Mdina Rehabilitation Project will also be concentrating on the upgrading of Howard Garden, the ditch, the restoration of the Main Gate and the Banca Giuratale.

The Vilhena forecourt project has not in any way made us lose sight of the need to have a closer look at the palace itself that has for many years developed cracks in view of the fact that the land below is subsiding. A thorough geological survey of the palace and its environs has been commissioned, to establish throughout different seasons of the year, the precise extent of land movement, structural effects, its probable causes, constant monitoring through latest available technology, and what would be the correct remedial measures to take.

This analysis is being carried out by the Works Division within my ministry together with the Italian firm IRMA as well as the University of Bologna. We shall take all necessary measures to protect our national heritage.

Taking care of our own treasures means carrying out more works of love to safeguard the historical and artistic wealth that pertains to us. It is a joyful commitment that we are only delighted to carry out, as it has been a remarkable experience working on the Vilhena Palace forecourt project.