Reconstructing the St. Publius Triumphal Arch – Floriana

Reconstructing the St. Publius Triumphal Arch - Floriana

Charles Culture March 24, 2023 at 8:30 am
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Project Description

Inaugurated in 1899 the Arch was a wooden structure designed by Giorgio Cassar, as part of the street decorations during the feast of St. Publius in Floriana.  The structure was unique in Malta in various aspects, being one of the oldest street decorations of such a huge dimension still existing in the country.

The structure was inaugurated in April 1899 and was erected on a yearly basis on the Feast of Saint Publius. For obvious reasons the feast was not celebrated during the years of World War II.

Floriana as a locality suffered huge damages both in structural and social terms during the War. The loss was enormous and after the War, the priority was to rebuild the Parish Church which had been heavily bombed. The other priority was to rebuild the buildings around Floriana which had been destroyed. The arch which is composed of 79 pieces was stored at the church crypt, which had remained intact but seemingly forgotten.

During 1997 a team of enthusiasts decided to restore this unique structure,  and in fact it was inaugurated once again during the St. Publius feast celebrated in 1999, and on its 100 years anniversary.

Few would have imagined that twenty years on, on the 27th April 2019, this structure will be targeted and vandalised, to the point that it was completely destroyed, and turned into ashes due to an arson attack. The sense of loss was widespread, not just in Floriana, but across the nation.  On the day following the incident, messages in support Floriana community started pouring in.

The general consensus was that this immaculate structure should be rebuilt. Donations started flowing in, but following an in-depth analysis it was quantified that the Floriana community needed €140,000 Euros to complete the project.

The Parish Church secured funds from Government entities to reach this goal.

Unfortunately, in view of the COVID pandemic, and the Ukraine war crisis the cost of raw material has skyrocketed.  Hence, we need further financial assistance to complete this project.

HELP US RESTORE THIS ARCH TO ITS FORMER GLORY!

APPEAL FOR FUNDS

Prior the Accident

Incident Aftermath

Accident live video

Reconstruction
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Project FAQ

  • When the Arch was built?
    • The Arch was built and used for the first time 1899
  • When the was used before stored for sixty years?
    • The Arch was last used 1939. The structure was stored at St. Publius Church crypt, to protect it from the World War 2 bombardment.
  • When it was restored and reused?
    • The Arch was restored to its former glory 1998, and used for the first time is 60 years in 1999.
  • When it was burnt down?
    • The Arch was burnt down in April 2019.
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