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ViGiLO - Din l-Art Ħelwa ISSUE 57 • MAY 2022
ID-DELLIJA U IX-XEMXIJA
The Sunny and Shady Areas of St Paul’s Bay By James Licari
Throughout history, many historical facts as well as artefacts are lost due to good intentions. During British rule in Malta, several coats of arms were removed and placed within the national collection, for better preservation. In some cases, replicas were produced. As time passes by, the recollection of their original context may be lost and the documentation of these removals gets buried in piles of paper within curatorial reports or museum libraries. Luckily in the quest to undertake the conservation of the quaint monument that lies on the side of the road in Xemxija, St Paul’s Bay, the author and his colleague made various discoveries. It is fun to re-discover history and conserve what we can of it.
Description Today the monument in Xemxija consists of a plain wall with an upper edge. Towards the central upper area of the wall, facing the road, there are three escutcheons and a large inscription. From left to right, the coats of arms are of Grand Master Perellos, the Order of St John, and Balì Philippe de Vendôme. There is a small marble plaque on the left side of the monument dating from 1924.1
The original pieces of the former redoubt
The inscription states: E.M.M.F.D. RAIJMUNDI PERELLOS, U ROCCAFULL EMULATUS ZELLUM MAGNANIMUS PRINCEPS F PHILIPPUS DE VENDOSM FRANCIAE PRIOR DUM UBIQUE SECURTATI SATAGITUR AD HOSTEM EMINUS ARCENDUM MARITIMAS ORAS VALLIS, AGGERIBUSQUE MUNIEDAS PRAESENTIA, CONSILIO, ATQUE IMPENSI AERIS EXEMPLO SATEGIT, LAUDANTE CONCILIO, PLAUDENTIBUS OMNIBUS, NON PAUCIS INTER VV.PROCERES UT NOMINA VALLORUM INDICANT IMITANTIBUS ANNO D.1715.
