Floriana
The area of Floriana is a suburb established in the early 18th C. (architect Pietro Floriani) to protect the landward side of Valletta.
Features of interest are the fortifications (Porte des Bombes), the Church of St Publius (dedicated to the first Bishop of Malta), Sarria Church and the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also worth paying a visit to the beautiful Argotti Botanic Gardens, which contain an interesting collection of cacti and a number of monuments.
Features of interest are the fortifications (Porte des Bombes), the Church of St Publius (dedicated to the first Bishop of Malta), Sarria Church and the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also worth paying a visit to the beautiful Argotti Botanic Gardens, which contain an interesting collection of cacti and a number of monuments.
|
Must-see attractions nearby:
|
Related Attractions
Alliance Francaise
Alliance Francaise is a cultural center including a library of mainly French-language books as well as English-language books about France. It also hosts numerous cultural events throughout the year.
Read More
Church of St Publius
St Publius was the Roman governor at the time of St Paul's shipwreck in A.D. 60, and after his conversion to Christianity he became the first bishop of Malta.
Originally designed by Guiseppe Bonnici in 1733, this is the last important parish church built by the Order. The entire structure was rebuilt after the destruction by the Axis bombing. The portico and its two tall bell towers were added in 1882 to a design by Dr. Nicola Zammit, who was also responsible for the new facade at St Nicholas Siggiewi.
Originally designed by Guiseppe Bonnici in 1733, this is the last important parish church built by the Order. The entire structure was rebuilt after the destruction by the Axis bombing. The portico and its two tall bell towers were added in 1882 to a design by Dr. Nicola Zammit, who was also responsible for the new facade at St Nicholas Siggiewi.
Porte des Bombes
These are one of two gates built between 1697 and 1720 that once pierced the curtain-wall defenses of the Floriana Lines (the northern gate, the Gate of Our Lady, has been destroyed).
Originally a simple single-arched structured with a drawbridge, the archway was doubled in 1868 when the curtain wall either side of it was dismantled to allow traffic to flow.
Its escutcheon and emblems are those of Grand Master Perellos in whose reign it was constructed.
Originally a simple single-arched structured with a drawbridge, the archway was doubled in 1868 when the curtain wall either side of it was dismantled to allow traffic to flow.
Its escutcheon and emblems are those of Grand Master Perellos in whose reign it was constructed.
Sarria Church
This small cylindrical church, built in 1676, has a disputed but undoubtedly elegant provenance, being designed by either the artist Mattia Preti or Lorenzo Gafa. The first church on this site was built in 1585 by the knight de Sarria Navarro and dedicated to sailors. The lunettes and paintings inside the current structure are by Preti.
The Jesuits maintain the church.
The Jesuits maintain the church.
Vittoriosa - Armory
Behind St James Bastion (now partly a training school) was the old store for the Order's ordnance. In the early 18th century the British converted it into their first naval hospital on Malta.
Wignacourt Water Tower
The rocket-like tower opposite the Sarria Church was a staging post and fountain for fresh water that flowed along the Mdina-Valletta aqueduct built in 1615.
