Valletta Waterfront

Last updated

Valletta Waterfront
Xatt ta' Pinto
3 Valletta waterfront 090917.jpg
The Valletta Waterfront outside Floriana Lines
Valletta Waterfront
Former namesValletta Marina
General information
StatusPartially intact
Type Wharf, stores
Architectural style Baroque
Location Floriana, Malta
Opened10 August 1752
2006
Owner Government of Malta and private property
Technical details
Material Limestone
Floor count3
Design and construction
Architect(s) Andrea Belli (attributed)

The Valletta Waterfront, is a promenade in Floriana, [1] Malta, mainly featuring three prominent buildings: a church in the middle, the Pinto Stores or the Pinto Wharf on the left, and the Forni Stores or the Forni Shopping Complex on the right. The buildings were originally stores and warehouses, built in the 18th century, and the design is attributed to Andrea Belli.

Contents

The building project was officiated on 10 August 1752, with a mass festivity. The Forni Stores were used as the first British naval bakeries in Malta and were used for this function until 1844. [2] The area is now a hub in Malta's cruise liner business as the Forni Cruise Passenger Terminal, and hosts a concentration of bars, retail outlets, and restaurants. The area was and remains a venue for several concerts and events. [3]

History

The Valletta Marina was first developed in July 1727 by Grand Master Anton Manuel de Vilhena when, according to a notarial deed of Gaspard Dominic Chircop, "a store-house with marble oil-vats" was built. [4]

Further stores and warehouse were added in 1752, that included 19 imposing stores and a church, built by Grandmaster Manuel Pinto de Fonseca. [5] The buildings, including the stores and the church, have a Baroque design attributed to Andrea Belli. [6]

The car park behind the rebuilt facades Malta - Floriana - Valletta Waterfront (Sir Luigi Preziosi Gardens) 01 ies.jpg
The car park behind the rebuilt facades

The area was devastated by aerial bombardment in World War II, due to its proximity to the Malta Dockyard and the British naval forces in Grand Harbour. Some of the stores were completely destroyed during the war. [7]

The area was thoroughly restored and renovated. Some buildings, which had been completely or partially destroyed in the WWII, saw their facades rebuilt at the exclusion of the interior. [8] The area behind these rebuilt facades is now a car park. The doors of the buildings are painted with different colours, symbolising the different types of goods that were once stored in them; blue represents the storage of fish, green for agricultural products, yellow for wheat and red for wine. [9]

Flight into Egypt Church Malta - Floriana - Valletta Waterfront + Flight into Egypt Church 01 ies.jpg
Flight into Egypt Church

The Valletta Waterfront is run by a private consortium who offers management overseeing Malta's cruise liner business. The waterfront hosts roughly twelve restaurants, a number of bars and retail outlets. Various events are held at the area and the close vicinity, [10] such as the Malta Jazz Festival and the Malta Fireworks Festival. [11]

The Church of the Flight into Egypt was built in 1752, along with the stores, was bombed in the Second World War and the damaged parts have since been faithfully rebuilt similar to the original and the original remains were restored. Mass is celebrated at the church every Saturday evening. [12] A bronze image of the face of Jesus was attached to the church and is now found with the façade of the Co-Cathedral of Saint John in Valletta. [4]

The Pinto Stores were included on the Antiquities List of 1925, [13] are a grade 1 national monument [14] and they are listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI). [15]

Malta Valletta3 tango7174.jpg
View of Valletta Waterfront (Pinto Stores) in Floriana

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valletta</span> Capital of Malta

Valletta is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe, and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floriana</span> Local council in Port Region, Malta

Floriana, also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana is the birthplace of many famous Maltese, amongst which the composer of the national anthem, 'L-Innu Malti', Robert Samut; former Bishop of Malta Dun Mauro Caruana, the poets Oliver Friggieri and Maria Grech Ganado, the writer and politician Herbert Ganado and Swedish Idol winner Kevin Borg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Pinto da Fonseca</span> Portuguese nobleman

Manuel Pinto da Fonseca was a Portuguese nobleman, the 68th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1741 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floriana Lines</span> Line of fortifications in Floriana, Malta

The Floriana Lines are a line of fortifications in Floriana, Malta, which surround the fortifications of Valletta and form the capital city's outer defences. Construction of the lines began in 1636 and they were named after the military engineer who designed them, Pietro Paolo Floriani. The Floriana Lines were modified throughout the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, and they saw use during the French blockade of 1798–1800. Today, the fortifications are still largely intact but rather dilapidated and in need of restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Our Lady of Victory (Valletta)</span> Church in Valletta, Malta

The Our Lady of Victory Church, formerly known as the Saint Anthony the Abbot Church, was the first church and building completed in Valletta, Malta. In 1566, following the Great Siege of Malta, Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette and his Order showed interest to build a church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin as a form of thanksgiving; the construction was funded by De Valette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Jesuits, Valletta</span> Church in Valletta, Malta

The Church of the Circumcision of Our Lord, also known as the Church of the Jesuits or the Church of the University, is one of the oldest and largest churches in Valletta, Malta. It was originally built between 1593 and 1609 by the Jesuit order, and it is located adjacent to the Old University Building, which originally housed a Jesuit college known as the Collegium Melitense. The church was rebuilt in the Baroque style by Francesco Buonamici after suffering extensive damage in an explosion in 1634. The church remained in use after the Jesuits were expelled from Malta in 1768, and it is also used for Masters and Doctoral graduation ceremonies of the University of Malta, the successor to the Collegium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auberge de Castille</span> Auberge in Valletta, Malta

The Auberge de Castille, historically in full known as the Auberge de Castille et Portugal, is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. The auberge is located at Castile Place, close to Saint James Cavalier, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It sits at the highest point of Valletta and overlooks Floriana and the Grand Harbour area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wignacourt Aqueduct</span> 17th-century aqueduct in Malta

The Wignacourt Aqueduct is a 17th-century aqueduct in Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta. The aqueduct carried water through underground pipes and over arched viaducts across depressions in the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auberge d'Italie</span> Auberge in Valletta, Malta

The Auberge d'Italie is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built at various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy, and it originally had a Mannerist design by Girolamo Cassar and several other architects. The building continued to be modified throughout the course of the 17th century, with the last major renovation being carried out in the 1680s during the magistracy of Gregorio Carafa, giving the building a Baroque character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Flight into Egypt</span> Church in Floriana, Malta

The Church of the Flight into Egypt is a Roman Catholic church located at the Valletta Waterfront in Floriana, Malta. The church was built in the 18th-century on the baroque design of Andrea Belli for spiritual service of the workers at the Pinto Stores. The church was hit by aerial bombardment in World War II in 1941 and it was then restored in 1989 but it remained unconsecrated. It was opened for church service again in 2006 together with the Valletta Waterfront. The current rector is Paul Attard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manderaggio</span>

The Manderaggio is a neighbourhood in Valletta, Malta. It is located behind the Manderaggio Curtain of the fortifications of Valletta, on the side of Marsamxett Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Publius Parish Church</span> Church in Floriana, Malta

The Saint Publius Parish Church, also known as the Floriana Parish Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Floriana, Malta, dedicated to Saint Publius. It was constructed at several stages between the 18th and 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Admiralty House (Valletta)</span> Palace in Valletta, Malta

Admiralty House, formerly known as Casa Miari, Palazzo Don Raimondo and by several other names, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was originally built in 1569–70 as two private houses by Fra Jean de Soubiran dit Arafat, a knight of the Order of St. John. The houses were later leased to various owners, including Fra Raimondo de Sousa y Silva, who rebuilt them a single residence between 1761 and 1763.

Andrea Belli was a Maltese architect and businessman. He designed several Baroque buildings, including Auberge de Castille in Valletta, which is now the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forni della Signoria</span> Bakehouse in Malta

The Forni della Signoria was a bakehouse in Valletta, Malta. It was constructed in the late 16th century by the Order of St John, and it consisted of a number of bakeries which produced bread for the inhabitants of Valletta and the surrounding area, as well as for the Order's garrison and navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maltese Baroque architecture</span> A form of Baroque architecture

Maltese Baroque architecture is the form of Baroque architecture that developed in Malta during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the islands were under the rule of the Order of St. John. The Baroque style was introduced in Malta in the early 17th century, possibly by the Bolognese engineer Bontadino de Bontadini during the construction of the Wignacourt Aqueduct. The style became popular in the mid to late 17th century, and it reached its peak during the 18th century, when monumental Baroque structures such as Auberge de Castille were constructed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old University Building, Valletta</span> Educational building in Valletta, Malta

The Old University Building, also known as the Valletta Campus, is the original campus of the University of Malta, located adjacent to the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta, Malta. Construction of the building began in 1595, and it originally housed a Jesuit college known as the Collegium Melitense Societatis Jesu. The building had to be repaired after being damaged in an explosion in 1634 and an earthquake in 1693.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustavo R. Vincenti</span> Maltese architect and developer

Gustavo Romeo Vincenti was a Maltese architect and developer. Born into a wealthy and business oriented family in Valletta and Floriana, he was able to purchase land and design and build buildings which he would then sell to clients. He was interested in architecture from a young age, and he graduated as an architect from the University of Malta in 1911, at the age of 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parish Church of the Assumption, Dingli</span> Church in Dingli, Malta

The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic parish church in Dingli, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was constructed in various stages between 1903 and 1973 on the site of a previous church which had been built between 1678 and 1680.

Francesco Buonamici (1596–1677) was an Italian Baroque architect, painter and engraver who was active in Lucca, Malta, Sicily and Rome during the 17th century. He played a significant role in the introduction of Baroque in Malta.

References

  1. Bonnici, Joseph; Cassar, Michael (2004). A Chronicle of Twentieth Century Malta. Books Distributors Limited. p. 296. ISBN   978-999097227-6.
  2. Prepared by the Planning Authority (July 1998). "Valletta Cruise Terminal Development Brief". Commissioned by the "Valletta Cruise Terminal Steering Committee". p. 16.
  3. Serracino, Joseph (30 June 2018). "Dawra kulturali mal-Port il-Kbir (27)" (PDF). L-Orrizont. p. 12. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 Borg, Joseph (1974). "The Custom House - Malta" (PDF). Scientia. 2 (2): 59–80. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2019.
  5. Buhagiar, Mario (2009). Essays on the Knights and Art and Architecture in Malta, 1500-1798. Malta: Midsea Books. p. 210. ISBN   978-9993272465.
  6. Thake, Conrad (16 May 2008). "The Architectural legacy of Grand Master Pinto (2)". The Malta Independent . Archived from the original on 1 August 2016.
  7. Psaila, Christian (8 December 2005). "The Floriana Waterfront". Times of Malta . Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  8. Spiteri Staines, Joanna (20 February 2011). "From Blood Rock to Barriera Wharf". Times of Malta . Archived from the original on 3 July 2016.
  9. "Pinto Stores" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. "Spend some quality time". Times of Malta . 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
  11. "12 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Valletta - PlanetWare".
  12. Scerri, John. "Floriana". malta-canada.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016.
  13. "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939". Malta Environment and Planning Authority . Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
  14. "Att ta" l-1992 Dwar l-Ippjanar ta' l-Izvilupp (Artikolu 46)" (PDF). The Malta Government Gazette (273). Department of Information: 5333. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2017.
  15. Anon (30 December 2012). "125 properties on National Inventory of the Cultural Property". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 10 March 2016.

35°53′24″N14°30′29″E / 35.89000°N 14.50806°E / 35.89000; 14.50806