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The Monument to Sir Alexander Ball ( mt, Il-Monument ta' Sir Alexander Ball) is a neoclassical monument in the Lower Barrakka Gardens in
Sir
The monument was designed in the 
The frieze contains the following inscription:
Two identical inscriptions, one in Latin and another in English, were installed at the base of the monument during the 1884 restoration. The Latin inscription reads:
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...
, 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 1810 as a memorial to Sir Alexander Ball
Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet ( it, Alessandro Giovanni Ball, 22 July 1757 – 25 October 1809) was a Rear-Admiral and Civil Commissioner of Malta. He was born in Ebworth Park, Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire. He was the fourth son of Rober ...
, a British admiral who was the first Civil Commissioner of Malta. Attributed to the architect Giorgio Pullicino, the monument is in the form of an ancient Greek temple
Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, ...
.
History
Sir Alexander Ball
Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet ( it, Alessandro Giovanni Ball, 22 July 1757 – 25 October 1809) was a Rear-Admiral and Civil Commissioner of Malta. He was born in Ebworth Park, Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire. He was the fourth son of Rober ...
was a British naval officer who was sent to Malta in 1798 to help the Maltese rebels in the blockade against the French. Ball became the first Civil Commissioner of Malta, a post he held from 1799 to 1801 and again from 1802 until his death on 25 October 1809. Ball was widely loved and respected by the Maltese people.
In December 1809, the Maltese set up a committee of "Deputies of the Nation" and petitioned the Acting Commissioner Francis Chapman to build a monument dedicated to Ball. The Lower Barrakka Gardens was chosen as the site to build the monument, since its location on the fortifications
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
overlooking the Grand Harbour
The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...
was appropriate to honour a naval officer, and it was an area popular with the local population. The strategic location of the monument made it a powerful symbol of British rule in Malta.
The monument was constructed in 1810, and its design is attributed to the Maltese architect Giorgio Pullicino. The monument was built using funds collected by the local population.
The monument deteriorated quickly after its construction since it is exposed to the elements. In 1883, Captain E. H. Seymour formed a committee to restore it, and it was restored the following year by Andrea Vassallo under the supervision of Emanuele Luigi Galizia
Emanuele Luigi Galizia (7 November 1830 – 6 May 1907) was a Maltese architect and civil engineer, who designed many public buildings and several churches. He is regarded as "the principal Maltese architect throughout the second half of the ni ...
. The restored monument was inaugurated by Governor Sir Lintorn Simmons
Field Marshal Sir John Lintorn Arabin Simmons (12 February 1821 – 14 February 1903) was a British Army officer. Early in his career he served as Inspector of Railways, Secretary of the Railways Commission and then Secretary of the Railway Dep ...
on 18 December 1884.
The monument was restored once again in 2001, as part of an overall restoration and rehabilitation of the Lower Barrakka.
Architecture
The monument was designed in the Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
style of Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
. It is built in the form of an ancient Greek temple
Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, ...
with a solid ''naos'' and a Doric tetrastyle
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
portico. The design was inspired by the Temple of Hephaestus
The Temple of Hephaestus or ''Hephaisteion'' (also "Hephesteum" or "Hephaesteum"; grc, Ἡφαιστεῖον, ell, Ναός Ηφαίστου, and formerly called in error the Theseion or "Theseum"; grc, Θησεῖον, ell, Θησείο), ...
in Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, but the proportions are completely different since the monument is much smaller than the temple. It is set on a high stylobate
In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate ( el, στυλοβάτης) is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform upon which colonnades of temple columns are placed (it is the floor of the temple). The platform was built on a level ...
in order to make the structure more imposing. Each of the four walls of the ''naos'' contains a niche containing allegorical statues representing War, Prudence, Justice and Immortality. These statues are the work of the sculptor Vincenzo Dimech.
The frieze contains the following inscription:
Two identical inscriptions, one in Latin and another in English, were installed at the base of the monument during the 1884 restoration. The Latin inscription reads:
See also
* Maitland Monument, CorfuReferences
External links
{{Valletta Buildings and structures in Valletta Monuments and memorials in Malta Neoclassical architecture in Malta Greek Revival buildings Limestone buildings in Malta Folly buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1810 1810 establishments in Malta