Wignacourt fountain 'going to ruin'
A reader has made a plea for urgent action to stop the deterioration of the historic Wignacourt Fountain.
"While the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had scheduled the Wignacourt fountain as a Grade 1 national monument in 2008, it has been neglected and left in a pitiful state," Joe Morana said in a letter in The Times. He also shot the footage shown below.
The fountain, at St Philip’s Garden in Floriana, was originally located on Palace Square, Valletta. It was the first fountain erected after the building of the Wignacourt aqueduct. It was inaugurated during Eastertide, on April 21, 1615.
It was moved by the British military to St Philip’s Garden so the Palace square could be used for military parades.
The Wignacourt fountain features a large circular basin with three superimposed seashells, like shaped basins, each one smaller than the one below it, supported on a cone-shaped pedestal with four dolphins with upturned tails or rather what is still left of them.
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9 Comments
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Joe Morana
Dec 7th 2011, 03:58
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111206/letters/Wignacourt-fountain-going-to-ruin.397080
K. Vella
Dec 6th 2011, 16:51
Pls. transfer this fountain (or a replica) instead of Manwel Dimech monument.
Castille square monuments must be dedicated only to Maltese Prime Ministers.
This is a gem in Valletta history, how can we discard this monument!!!
Mario J Spiteri
Dec 6th 2011, 23:16
Sorry Mr Vella, it is good to be transferred to the original place. That's the proper place.
J. Borg
Dec 6th 2011, 15:51
Only in Malta factor...........................
First we let things deteriorate and then we try to take action and most probably we declare that it cannot be repaired.
M Muscat
Dec 6th 2011, 15:50
Nahseb li din ghanda tigi restawrata u sal 21 ta' April 2015, f'gheluq l-400 sena minn meta saretr, tigi mpoggija
fejn originajament kienet quddiem il Palazz Presidenzjali. Jekk iridu jaghmu l-parati jaghmluhom fl-Arena ta' l-
Indipendenza., hemmek akbar.
Raphael E Vassallo
Dec 6th 2011, 14:24
I believe that this is one of the most beautiful fountains found in Malta and due urgent attention should be given to this precious work of art.
alfred seguna
Dec 6th 2011, 14:13
Its always the same in Malta.A lot of talking and no action.I always wondered what happened to the gate entrance of Valletta the one that was demolished and vanished to build a garage like structure in 1964?Also where are the where abouts of the Fleure de lys gate?
James Scerri
Dec 6th 2011, 21:41
'L-Ark ta Fleur De Lys' you mean... I heard my late grandfather telling me stories, that the Arc was brought down by the British during their stay in Malta. It was supposed to be rebuilt...but as usual it was just forgotten!
I would also like to add the Royal Opera House ruins..apart from City Gate. The opera house stones were dismantelled and stored in a field near Sta Lucija...the purpose being, to hopefully someday we will rebuilt it. But again my grandfather told me that most of it were stolen and/or magically 'lost'. (And on a side note we're building a tennis court instead...shame!)
In Malta, we don't care about anything...as long as it's there...it's fine. When it deteriorates to an unrecoverable state...we give up saying it was beyond repair.
J' Alla ma jigrix hekk f'din!
Jimmy John M Vella
Dec 6th 2011, 14:10
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101107/letters/pitiful-state-of-historic-wignacourt-fountain.335001