Money well spent

Restoring buildings to their pristine state does not come cheap and Midi plc knows this only too well, with works carried out by the company costing over €30 million.

This was the largest investment in restoration ever undertaken by private entities, in this case, the company responsible for the development of Manoel Island and Tigné Point.

Manoel Island is home to a number of architectural gems dating back to the Knights of St John, which include Fort Manoel and its adjacent buildings, the chapel of St Anthony of Padua, the Casemates, Couvre Porte and the magnificent square. These baroque military buildings all saw savage enemy action during World War II and have now been painstakingly restored.

Some €8 million went into Fort Manoel while most of the money is earmarked for the restoration of the Lazzaretto Hospital.

Fort Manoel was built by the Knights of St John to protect Valletta’s north bastions from artillery fire. Work on the fort started in 1723 under the patronage of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena and supervised by engineer Francois de Mondion, whose remains are buried in the chapel of St Anthony of Padua. With the iconic chapel’s restoration nearly finished, the emphasis of work is now directed on the main gate of the fort.

The completion date for the whole project is set for between 2015 and 2018 with Midi forking out about €225 million and a final total investment amounting to €600 million for the complete Tigné and Manoel Island development.