Anyone entering Valletta from Ġlormu Cassar Avenue will now come under the watchful eye of its emblematic golden lion on a huge red flag, fluttering on a 16-metre pole overlooking the harbour.

The flag – the size of a double-decker bus – would celebrate the capital city, its rich heritage while bringing it back to life, Valletta Mayor Alexiei Dingli said.

The flag was raised for the first time yesterday on a 16-metre-high pole erected next to the bastions in car park adjacent to the Central Bank.

Speaking before the flag was hoisted, Dr Dingli said the project had been thought up by the previous local council but it took some times for the necessary permits to be issued.

“I believe that the city’s emblem should not only be brought out during a football match but should be there for everyone to see,” Dr Dingli said.

The council wanted to create awareness about its rich heritage and the ongoing works to bring it back to its former beauty while also increasing its visibility on a local and European level.

“Valletta is one of the principal candidates to host the European Culture Capital in 2018 and it’s important that it receives the recognition it deserves,” Dr Dingli said.

However, Dr Dingli denied the flag initiative was intended to stir the long-standing rivalry with neighbouring Floriana – which is this weekend marking the 400th anniversary of its patron saint, with the wording ‘San Publju - Patrun ta’ Malta’ brightly lit up across St Anne Street.

Before it was hoisted for the first time, the flag was blessed by Mgr Anton Galea, rector of Our Lady of Victory Church in Valletta. It was then raised by Dr Dingli to the Vangelis’s dramatic track Conquest of Paradise.

The flag, which will be raised every morning and come down every evening, will be maintained by the local council.