A replica bronze bust of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena was inaugurated on the main gate of Fort Manoel earlier this week in honour of a grandmaster who left a significant heritage to Malta and its people.

The original bronze bust of Grandmaster de Vilhena was moved to the Manoel Theatre in the early 1960s.

MIDI CEO Luke Coppini said that returning the grandmaster to his rightful place came at an opportune time as the company was embarking on further restoration works.

The bronze bust was cast by Christopher Chetcuti, together with his father Joseph, of Chetcuti Foundry in Luqa.

With an investment of over €20 million the restoration works at Fort Manoel are considered as the largest restoration initiative ever carried out by a private company in Malta.

Grandmaster de Vilhena left a lasting and impressive legacy after the 1720s when he unleashed an ambitious building plan across Malta including the renovation of Mdina and its fortifications and plans to build beautiful baroque buildings in Valletta including the Manoel Theatre.

Charles Francois de Mondion (1681–1733), the French architect who, at the time, was retained by the Order of St John as its military engineer, supervised the construction of the fort.  Pietro Paolo Troisi (1686 – 1750), the noted Maltese artist who, during his lifetime, distinguished himself as an architect, designer, silversmith and bronze sculptor, sculpted the original bronze bust of Grandmaster Vilhena.

Plans are in the pipeline to display the original at MUZA, the new National Museum of Art and Heritage, due to open next year.

MIDI said the public will soon have the opportunity to visit the fort and see the extensive restoration undertaken during an open weekend.