When Pierre de Bonneville and his family visited Fort Manoel during their recent first trip to Malta, there was more than just a passing interest in Maltese history.
Mr de Bonneville is a direct descendant of Charles-François de Mondion, the renowned military engineer who, under the patronage of Portuguese Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, built the magnificent and recently restored Fort Manoel.
Mr de Bonneville’s great-grandmother, who passed away in 1961, was Suzanne de Mondion.
“We knew from her that her family could be traced to the year 900 and that the De Mondion family carried the title of comte and had proven many times during history their nobility in France, so they must have had some Knights of St John,” said Mr de Bonneville.
“It was after extensive research that I discovered I was a direct descendent of Charles François de Mondion and that he played a significant role in Malta’s rich history and cultural heritage.”
Fort Manoel was built by the Knights of Malta to protect Valletta’s north-facing flank from artillery action from the Isolotto in Marsamxetto Harbour. The first stone was laid in 1723 under the supervision of De Mondion, who is regarded as one of the most important architects to have ever worked in Malta.
Although the fort’s defining characteristics survived the ravages of time, certain changes were effected to meet the exigencies of military strategies over the years.
It also endured numerous attacks during World War II but perhaps the greatest threat to this magnificent fortress came from the decades of vandalism it suffered after the British forces left Malta.
The revitalisation and restoration of Fort Manoel was part of a recent extensive project undertaken on both Manoel Island and Tigné Point by Midi plc. The restoration project includes Fort Tigné, the Lazzaretto and other sites on Manoel Island that are to be restored.
Architect Edward Said, of Aom, who was involved in the restoration project, accompanied Mr de Bonneville and his family around the fort, showing them the various restored structures and guiding them through the rich detailed features of the site.
Fittingly, their tour ended with a visit to the crypt beneath the recently reconstructed chapel of St Anthony of Padua, where Charles-François de Mondion was once buried.