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Pinto's Loggia or Pinto's Lodge ( mt, It-Tribuna ta' Pinto - Il-Loġġa ta' Pinto), is a loggia in
The loggia was originally part of a large farmhouse complex which included stables for the Grand Master's horses, but the farmhouses were demolished in 1981 to make way for modern houses. The Parish Church of St. Sebastian was later built in the vicinity of the loggia.
The loggia was restored in 1987 in 2002 and again in 2018 by the Local Council. A street market is held in the street and square near the loggia every Saturday morning, and it also serves as a backdrop for the annual Ħal Qormi Day.
Il-Gran Mastru Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca
''Armar San Sebastjan''.
Qormi
Qormi ( mt, Ħal Qormi ; pronounced in the Qormi dialect), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), mak ...
, Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It was built in 1772 to commemorate the 31st year of Manuel Pinto da Fonseca's magistracy, and it is now a landmark and symbol of Qormi.
History
Pinto's Loggia was built in 1772, marking the 31st year of the reign of Manuel Pinto da Fonseca as Grand Master of theOrder of St. John
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...
. Qormi had been granted city status as ''Città Pinto'' on 25 May 1743, and the city still bears Pinto's coat of arms as its symbol. The structure is supported by four columns, and it is decorated with Pinto's coat of arms and a Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
inscription. According to tradition, Pinto used to sit in the loggia to shade himself while watching horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
, but its original purpose is still unclear.
The loggia was originally part of a large farmhouse complex which included stables for the Grand Master's horses, but the farmhouses were demolished in 1981 to make way for modern houses. The Parish Church of St. Sebastian was later built in the vicinity of the loggia.
The loggia was restored in 1987 in 2002 and again in 2018 by the Local Council. A street market is held in the street and square near the loggia every Saturday morning, and it also serves as a backdrop for the annual Ħal Qormi Day.
Further reading
*Grima, Joseph F. (2008)Il-Gran Mastru Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca
''Armar San Sebastjan''.
Qormi
Qormi ( mt, Ħal Qormi ; pronounced in the Qormi dialect), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), mak ...
. p. 99.
References
Qormi Pavilions Buildings and structures completed in 1772 Monuments and memorials in Malta Loggias {{Malta-struct-stub