Archbishop Charles Scicluna has slammed the “irreversible damage” to historic buildings so that “Las Vegas-style” lights could be installed, in a clear reference to the controversy raging over the new Castille illumination system.
Mgr Scicluna conveyed this strong message at St John’s Co-Cathedral on Wednesday evening where he celebrated a graduation Mass for University of Malta students, including architects.
Pitching his address to graduates from the Faculty of the Built Environment, Mgr Scicluna did not mince words: “I beg you to be very diligent and safeguard our rich architectural heritage.
“Let us not take a haphazard or amateurish approach and cause irreversible damage to buildings which we have enjoyed for 300 years, during which we never drilled them to install some Las Vegas-style lights,” he urged. “I am puttng this responsibility on your shoulders. Do not bow to the power which has no values.”
Meanwhile the verdict on the Castille project has been left pending, as the new set-up was not turned on for Wednesday’s opening ceremony of the Valletta Summit on Migration.
Do not bow to the power which has no values
Costing some €300,000, the LED-powered system – consisting of stainless steel tubes affixed to the façade of the landmark building – came under immediate fire, both from an aesthetic aspect as well as technically. The debate continued on Wednesday night, as soon as the migration Summit opening ceremony was over. On the social media many questioned the reasons why the revamped lighting scheme had not been showcased for the event, which was followed by a global audience.
Some even suggested that the government feared “embarrassment” and so decided to “play safe” by reverting to the old illumination system still in place.
Asked for his reaction, a spokes-man for the Prime Minister’s Office said that the lights were never planned to be inaugurated during the ceremony as these would have diminished the visibility of the images projected on St James Cavalier. The spokesman, however, was not in a position to give the inauguration date.
The project was part of a €1.6 million revamp of Castille Square coordinated by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation. Installed by RVC limited, the illumination system immediately fuelled a public outcry, as it was deemed to be too flashy for a historic building serving as the Prime Minister’s Office. The same technique was also adopted to light up the nearby St James Cavalier and the Malta Stock Exchange.
In its reaction the company fended off the criticism, saying the project was a work in progress, as the illumination intensity had not yet been adjusted to the correct levels. Criticism intensified when this newspaper revealed that some of the baroque stonework had been damaged during the installation.
It transpired that a series of holes, some of which are up to five centimetres in diameter, were drilled in the cornices to channel the wiring system.
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, which approved the work subject to a number of conditions, is yet to pronounce on this matter.