Meticulous work to restore Fort Manoel baroque chapel
Charles François de Mondion, who in the first half of the 18th century was resident military engineer in charge of the fortifications of these islands was commissioned by the Knights of St John to build Fort Manoel and its chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua. The fort and chapel are being meticulously restored by Midi plc.
A baroque chapel degraded first by bombing and then by long years of neglect is being restored by Midi plc as part of the Manoel Island project.
Work on the chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, situated on Fort Manoel, is progressing under the supervision of Alex Torpiano and Konrad Buhagiar, of aoM partnership, and the architects in their team, Svetlana Sammut and Edward Said.
"To start with, we had a long internal debate about whether the chapel should be restored or replaced by a modern structure," said Mr Said. "What remained of the structure was badly degraded with few records of what it actually looked like."
But with the support of the Tigné Point and Manoel Island developers, Midi plc, the restoration option carried the day. This was the beginning of a long and difficult journey, a much more complex job than the restoration of the rest of the fort.
It started with hours poring over documents in libraries, searching for any information that would help with the reconstruction. Surprisingly, for a chapel reputed to have been among the most beautiful on the island, there was very little information available. Mr Said attributes this to its location within a closed military complex. But there was enough available to begin works.
"The fort and its chapel were designed by de Mondion but some people have suggested that Carapecchia may have had a hand in it as well," Ms Sammut explained. "This is unlikely; de Mondion requested burial in the chapel in his will. That seems to tie it closely to him!"
But for the restorers, the link was useful: working at the same times as de Mondion, Carapecchia's work did provide a useful guide to some of the elements. More valuable was a detailed plan of the chapel, found ironically among the documents relating to Fort Ricasoli, built some 40 years earlier. It appears that de Mondion admired the chapel there and left one of his drawings behind.
More valuable still was the material found on site. "When we cleared the area to start the restoration of the other buildings in Fort Manoel, we found a lot of loose stones from the chapel buried in the debris," Mr Said recalled.
"The stones were recovered, numbered and put into storage until they would be needed," Ms Sammut continued. "Putting the fragments back together again was the most complex jigsaw puzzle imaginable."
Like many baroque churches, the chapel's fabric was originally highly decorated, intricately carved and finished. Unfortunately, this is now a dying art but the contractor entrusted with the work has been able to deploy three skilled stonemasons, fully able to work the stone as required. This is not an easy task: it takes its time and, while much of it can be done on the ground, the final finishing takes are made with the stones in place. The final effect is at first a little strange. Across the walls, the new mingles with the old and worn. An intricately decorated surface suddenly becomes smooth and unworked and protrudes beyond the older stonework.
"Where we do not know what the decoration was we are leaving the stone plain; anything else would be fiction, not restoration," Mr Said explained. "We have left the plain stone surface standing proud of the rest, almost giving the impression that the rest of the carving still has to be done."
The problems run deeper. The blocks of stone being used are larger than the standard ones utilised in modern buildings. "For their smaller structures, the Knights used blocks 280mm (11 inches) high. This is only 25mm larger than the current standard of 255mm (10 inches) but it means that the stone had to be specially ordered, at an added cost."
For larger buildings, the Knights used massive blocks circa 355mm (14 inches) high, further complicating the task. These masses of stone are heavier and more difficult to handle.
Once completed, the chapel will be the highest building in Fort Manoel, with an unparalleled view of Valetta over the courtyard and Marsamxett Harbour. This intensely detailed project was as close as anyone could get to constructing a baroque church today, the restorers said.
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Victor Laiviera
Jul 15th 2009, 10:38
@ Mr Derek Fenech.
I see that, in just a few hours, the old Opera House has gone from something that "never fitted Valletta " to something that was part of "a colourful palette of styles" that "shaped Valletta".
So what's wrong in restoring that palette?
Paul Borg
Jul 15th 2009, 08:23
The perfect place for Parliament. Still not too late.
Galea. L
Jul 14th 2009, 22:33
Derek Fenech, J Martinelli
Do you mean to say that all those countries that built their destroyed buildings according and exactly to the old plans were faking history?
If the old opera house did not harmonize with the rest of Valletta, more so does the ultra-modern City Gate without a Gate, a theatre without a roof and a Parliament on stilts not harmonize with Valletta. The Opera House and the Old City Gate were much more harmonious than Piano's modern blasphemy which is perfect for a modern city but a pure blasphemy in an old fortified city built by gentlemen for gentlemen.
Derek Fenech
Jul 14th 2009, 19:19
@Victor Laviera
To quote you I haven't put forward any valid argument because you haven't brought anything new to the table. The beauty of Valletta lies in how it managed to merge the different eras of architecture to create a colourful palette of styles. The Opera house, at its time, was part of that palette ad shaped Valletta in another way. Now its gone and recreating it will not donate anything new to the capital. I think if you had to ask Valletta she would be happy to embrace the style that makes our times to evolve and continue adding to this palette.
A minor clarification. I am not a first year student. My college years are gone by but my profession has placed me to work side by side with some great Maltese architects. The obscenities I am referring to were part of the so called post war regeneration of Malta the 1960s to 1980s. Do you remember it Mr Laviera?
Victor Laiviera
Jul 14th 2009, 18:21
Mr Derek Fenech, arrogance and condescension will not impress anybody, least of all me. Only reasoned arguments will, and you have not provided any of those.
Please stop trying to parade what is merely an opinion as a fact. Yes, the style of the Opera House was not the same as the general style in Valetta, but whether it fitted in or not is pure taste and opinion. From every photo I have seen, I think it did. An opinion as valid as those who say it did not. I am not surprised you refer me to a first year student, cos that is probably where you got the arrogant attitude of those who, knowing very little as yet, think they know everything.
There is one point where I agree with you; there are many architects who are changing the face of Malta but, rather than “and stamping out the architectural obscenities” they are creating them; and the change is not for the better.
Derek Fenech
Jul 14th 2009, 16:57
@ Victor Laviera
Reply to your first question:
The project of Fort Manoel Chapel is a restoration: an exercise of research in the conceptualization of the building by De Mondien and using the original stone in its original context to restore the chapel that fits the architectural style of its surroundings. As a result here we are not faking history but recreating a puzzle piece that fits exactly the puzzle. The Opera House never fitted Valletta and I suggest you speak to a first year Archirecture student to teach you this. Recreating it would be faking history so I would rather see an evolution of the site. Valletta has always had the stamp of so many architects, the majority of them were not Maltese so let's stop this thing of the non appointment of a local one. There are many valid architects that thank God are changing the face of Malta and stamping out the architectura obscenities that I believe 67% of the population (including you) approve.
Victor Laiviera
Jul 14th 2009, 16:30
I see that Mr Derek Fenech dodged my question, so I will ask it again:
How does he distinguish between "giving back a part of history" and "faking history"?
As for the rest of his comments, Mr Fenech seems to be the type who prefers to let others think for him amd make his choices.
We prefer to make our own.
Derek Fenech
Jul 14th 2009, 16:16
@Victor Laviera
Unless a nationwide vote is cast any other survey does not hold grounds. Having said its sends me shivers thinking what our urban architecture would look like tif the general public wants! Am sure that Knights, British and whoever didn't consult the general public when planning Valletta and its buildings. The rest is history.
Victor Laiviera
Jul 14th 2009, 15:28
Mr J Martinelli asks "Since the opera house did not exist any more, why rebuild something which architecturally does not fit? "
First of all, the claim that the Barry design did not fit is just an opinion not everybody shares. In any case, the Piano proposal fit even less - though that too is just an opinion.
But if you want a reason why we should rebuild the Opera House as it was, here is one that should suffice on its own - because some 67% of the people who will be paying for it, want it so.
We need no other reasons.
Derek Fenech
Jul 14th 2009, 15:25
Thanks Mr Martinelli
J Martinelli
Jul 14th 2009, 13:24
@ Victor Laiviera
Renzo Piano has nothing against the old Opera House other than, if one wants to look at Valletta as a whole, the Barry architecture did not fit the baroque style of the city. Since the opera house did not exist any more, why rebuild something which architecturally does not fit?
Besides, he argued that the site is too small for an opera house equipped with modern technology and with sufficient seating capacity which will render it economically feasible if packed full each performance night.
Restoring the Fort Manoel chapel is a different story altogether and rightly it is being reproduced faithfully and using any salvaged material from the original. It fit the surrounding architecture from day one and is being reconstructed in its original style.
Victor Laiviera
Jul 14th 2009, 12:24
@ Mr Derek Fenech
Would you care to explain to us how you make the difference between "giving back a part of history" and "faking history"?
Please?
Paul Xuereb
Jul 14th 2009, 11:25
What many of us are waiting to see even more than what the developerasare restoring is what they will build. Can we have some artists' impressions of what this beautiful island will end up looking like? Is it going to be another hideous conglormeration like the one that has spolied Tigne for ever? I trust Din l-Art Helwa and the other environmental NGOs are watching the situation closely.
Jaycee Van Rooyen
Jul 14th 2009, 10:41
I watched a documentary program recently about how the Maltese people defended their land against the German onslaught in WWII. (It did not seem as if the British were delivering on their promises, but they probably had too much to attend to at home). What I want to say is the Maltese acted in a heroic manner. Makes one feel good.
Derek Fenech
Jul 14th 2009, 10:15
@Victor Laviera
Restoring a baroque church commissioned by the Knights is giving back a part of history, rebuilding the Opera House will be faking history.
Victor Laiviera
Jul 14th 2009, 09:44
Will we ever be so lucky as to read similar new about the Opera House?
(PS: The picture as it stand reminds me of the Piano proposal.)