A statue of Queen Victoria stands in front of the

National Library of Malta The National Library of Malta ( mt, Bibljoteka Nazzjonali ta' Malta), often known as the Bibliotheca ( mt, Bibljoteka), is a reference library in Republic Square, Valletta, Malta. It was founded by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc in 1776 ...

in Republic Square,

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

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 ...

. Sculpted out of marble by the Sicilian artist

Giuseppe Valenti Giuseppe Valenti was a Sicilian sculptor who was active in the late 19th century. Valenti was born in Palermo, he was the son of , who was also a sculptor and wood carver. His work includes a seated statue of Saint Publius at St Paul's Cathedr ...

, the statue depicts the Queen sitting down and wearing a shawl of

Maltese lace Maltese lace ( mt, bizzilla) is a style of bobbin lace made in Malta. It is a guipure style of lace. It is worked as a continuous width on a tall, thin, upright lace pillow. Bigger pieces are made of two or more parts sewn together. The Lace Pil ...

. It was installed in the square on 5 August 1891, replacing a bronze

statue of António Manoel de Vilhena The statue of António Manoel de Vilhena is a life-sized Baroque sculpture, Baroque bronze statue of António Manoel de Vilhena, a Portuguese List of Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of St Jo ...

History

The site of the statue was an empty space until the mid-19th century, when Governor John Le Marchant installed a bronze

and established a garden with orange trees in the square. The statue had been cast in 1736 and it had previously been located at

Fort Manoel Fort Manoel ( mt, Forti Manoel or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it i ...

. After the statue of Queen Victoria was installed instead of that of Vilhena, the latter was moved to

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...

and the orange trees were removed. The statue was commissioned by public subscription to commemorate the 1887

Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which ...

. It was sculpted in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

by the Sicilian artist

, who had previously sculpted a statue of

Saint Publius Saint Publius ( mt, San Publju; grc-gre, Πούπλιος) is a first century Maltese bishop. He is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens. Publius is Malta's first acknowledged saint, the prince of the ...

for the Mdina Cathedral in 1885, and it was inaugurated on 5 August 1891. In 1901, ten years after its inauguration, the statue became the focal point for the public mourning commemorations following the Queen's death. The monument probably suffered some damage from shrapnel and vibrations due to bombs exploding nearby during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In the 1960s, the statue was reportedly targeted by socialists who daubed it in red paint. Despite this, there were very few calls for its removal even after Malta became an

independent state Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1964 and later a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

in 1974. The square which contains the statue is now officially known as ''Misraħ ir-Repubblika'' (Republic Square), but it is still commonly referred to as ''Pjazza Reġina'' (Queen's Square) after the statue. The statue deteriorated over the years due to weather conditions and

feral pigeon Feral pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'' or ''Columba livia forma urbana''), also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons,Nagy, Kelsi, and Johnson, Phillip David. ''Trash animals: how we live with natures filthy, feral, invasive, an ...

s which are common in the area. By the early 21st century, parts of the pedestal were chipped, while the fingers of the left hand and parts of the coronet and sceptre were missing. The inscriptions on the pedestal had also eroded. The monument was cleaned and restored in 2011, with conservation work being carried out by Heritage ResCo. The restoration was sponsored by M. Demajo Group and

Din l-Art Ħelwa () is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese Judge Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Since its foundation, Din l-Art Ħelwa has restored numerous ...

, while the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs provided some assistance. In June 2020, there were some calls for the statue's removal in the wake of the removal of many statues in the United States and elsewhere during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

. Former Valletta 2018 artistic director Mario Azzopardi called the statue a "colonial obscenity" and called for its removal, while the executive chairman of the Malta Book Council

Mark Camilleri Mark Camilleri M.Q.R. (born 2 February 1988) is a Maltese historian, writer, blogger, and publisher. Camilleri served as chairman of the National Book Council from 2013 to 2021. Following this, he became an outspoken critic of the ruling Labour P ...

called for its relocation and replacement with a monument to a prominent

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

intellectual. There were also those who came out against the statue's removal, including Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna founder Mario Farrugia and culture minister José Herrera. The latter stated that removal of monuments of British colonial rule in Malta would be "ridiculous" and that it would not change the fact that the islands were under foreign rule for much of their history.

Description

The statue depicts Queen Victoria wearing a shawl of

, in reference to the fact that she had ordered "eight dozen pairs long and eight dozen pairs short mitts, besides a scarf" of Malta lace. According to Jesmond Grech, she did so "in an attempt to revive this ancient craft."Grech, Jesmond. British Heritage in Malta. Sesto Florentino (Fi): Centro Stampa Editoriale (Plurigraf), 2003. Quoted i
Victorian Web
/ref> It is sculpted out of white marble. The pedestal and the steps leading to it are made out of grey stone. This also includes two coats of arms cast in bronze: the British coat of arms at the front and that of Malta at the back. ''Public mourning of the death of Queen Victoria by her statue in then- Piazza Tesoreria, August 1901:'' File:J.Mallia, The Queen's statue at Malta surrounded by wreaths and emblems of mourning because of Her Majesty's death.jpg, J.Mallia File:Richard Ellis, Mourning of Queen Victoria at her statue in Piazza Tesoreria, Valletta, Aug 1901.jpg, Richard Ellis File:Mourning of Queen Victoria at her statue in Piazza Tesoreria, Valletta, Aug 1901 (2).jpg

References

External links

* {{Valletta 1891 establishments in Malta 1891 sculptures Buildings and structures in Valletta Marble sculptures Monuments and memorials in Malta Outdoor sculptures in Malta Statues in Malta