Fleur-de-Lys Gate
| Wignacourt Arch | |
|---|---|
| L-Arkata ta' Wignacourt | |
Santa Venera-facing side of the arch
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| Alternative names | Fleur-de-Lys Gate |
| General information | |
| Status | Reconstructed |
| Type | Ornamental arch |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Location | Fleur-de-Lys (Birkirkara) and Santa Venera, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°53′24″N 14°28′22.5″E / 35.89000°N 14.472917°E |
| Named for | Alof de Wignacourt |
| Completed | 1615 (original) November 2015 (replica) |
| Inaugurated | 28 April 2016 (replica) |
| Destroyed | 18 April 1943 – 12 February 1944 (original) |
| Cost | €280,000 (replica) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bontadino de Bontadini |
The Wignacourt Arch known as the Fleur-De-Lys Gate (Maltese: L-Arkata ta' Wignacourt magħrufa bħala l-Bieb ta' Fleur-De-Lys) is an ornamental arch located on the boundary between Fleur-de-Lys (a suburb of Birkirkara) and Santa Venera, Malta. The arch was originally built in 1615 as part of the Wignacourt Aqueduct, but it was destroyed between 1943 and 1944. A replica of the arch was constructed in 2015 and inaugurated on 28 April 2016.
The Wignacourt Aqueduct was constructed between 1610 and 1615 to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the Maltese capital Valletta. It was named after Alof de Wignacourt, the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, who partially financed its construction.
The aqueduct was carried through underground pipes or over a series of stone arches where there were depressions in the ground level. To commemorate the construction of the aqueduct, the Wignacourt Arch was constructed at an area where the aqueduct crossed the road leading from Valletta to Mdina. The Baroque archway had a large arch in the centre, and a smaller arch on either side. It was decorated with three fleurs-de-lis, a relief of Wignacourt's coat of arms, and two marble plaques with Latin inscriptions. The plaque on the side facing Santa Venera reads:
HAC VALLETTA TENUS FUNCTUM JACUISSE CADAVER
VISA EST NUNC LATICIS SPIRITUS INTUS ALIT
INCUBUIT PRIMUS OLIM CEU SPIRITUS UNDIS
SPIRITUS ENIXA SIC MODO FERTUR ACQUA
The plaque on the side facing Birkirkara reads:
FRI. ALOPHIO DE WIGNACOURT
MAGNO MAGISTRO
VALLETTAM URBEM
ET ARCEM DULCISSIMIS AQUIS
VIVIFICANTI AETERNA SALUS
REN. IN 1739
...
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