The Fountains of Valletta
Words by: Richard Borg
If you look around well enough, you will not fail to see the occasional fountain inside buildings and outside in the streets of our capital city. If you are entering Valletta through St Anne’s street, Floriana, you cannot miss the baroque fountain topped by a lion. The lion was part of the coat of arms of Grand Master de Vilhena who built Floriana. It has ‘guarded’ the town since 1728. The inscriptions in Latin found on the bottom part of this fountain say: “To the increasing population of this suburb, Grand Master Don Anton De Vilhena, who holds the inhabitants so close to his heart decreed that this fountain is erected — 1728.”
During wartime, the Lion was encased in stone and placed for protection beneath the first arcade in St Anne’s street. The fountain was reconstructed in 1958 and the lion put in place. But let us proceed to Valletta and look at some of the fountains there. They are mostly baroque, ornate and have the patina of age. The first one to be erected was that in St George’s Square in front of the Grand Master’s Palace. Inaugurated in 1615, it was built to celebrate the construction of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt’s aqueduct. This fountain was transferred to St Philip’s Garden in Floriana in the beginning of the 19th century when the British decided to free St George’s Square for military parades. This fountain is a piece of art. It consists of a large circular basin with three basins inside it, each one smaller than the one below it. They are in the form of seashells with dolphins in the middle and the whole structure is supported on a pedestal.
In St George’s square too, are two almost identical fountains built by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan, who came from one of the most illustrious families in France. They consist of a triton or small putto spouting water into a basin affixed to the wall between two columns. On top, an eagle with spread out wings also issues water from its upturned head.
Being the main and most important square in Valletta, this square has been the most prominent venue when anything of any importance happened on the island. A modern touch are the water fountains where children love to play, chasing each other and getting wet especially on hot summer days. Some important buildings had their own small private fountains. One can be seen in the courtyard of the Castellania in Merchants street, considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the capital city. It served as a knight’s court and at present as the Ministry of Health building. Restoration on it has just started.
Another fountain can be found in the arcaded courtyard of the Auberge d’Aragon and another in Castille. Palazzo Parisio, in Merchants street, which was built in the 1740s now houses the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It is a beautiful palace but its claim to fame is the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte, commanding an army of the French Republic, lived here for seven eventful days in the history of Malta — from 12 to 18 June 1798.
If you pass by the main door and it is open, you can catch a glimpse of the courtyard and its fountain. Another two fountains stand in St John’s square at either end of the block which houses St John’s Co-Cathedral. The basin is marble and the head of a small putto spouts water from a frame surmounted by a lion in the fountain at the Republic street end and by a unicorn at the end of Merchants street. It is claimed that they were erected in 1820.
The Triton Fountain at City Gate is an important Modernist landmark. Designed by sculptor Vincent Apap and designer Victor Anastasi, it became operational on 16 May 1959. It was damaged when its platter collapsed in 1978. It was dismantled early last year and the bronze parts sent to Italy for restoration. Now we can enjoy this beautiful creation in all its glory. Water is indispensable but when it is found in public places it brings with it certain problems.
A decree of 6 September 1869, forbade the washing of hands, clothes or other things in the fountains. Convicted males were to be whipped while females had to leave Valletta if found guilty. Water for animals or the washing of clothes could be drawn only from fountains indicated for this purpose. This was the principal means of providing water to the population at a time when there wasn’t a domestic water service. Today we can enjoy a variety of fountains which grace our city and beautify our surroundings without having to worry too much about water, for the time-being at least.
