[WATCH] Restoration project of Mdina bastions underway

Restoration project of Mdina bastions underway • Video by Ray Attard

Culture minister Owen Bonnici toured restoration works on the Mdina bastions earlier today, a project that is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. 

The project, which started in June, will see the rennovation of some 9,600 square metres of bastions and will cost some €500,000.

Bonnici said that the restoration directorate is currently carrying out restoration works at various sites around the island.

"Some projects are on a minor scale, like chapels , while the bastions are major projects," Bonnici explained.

Head of the restoration directorate Norbert Gatt explained that the project was the last link in a chain of bastion restoration works around the island, costing some €32 million and partially funded by the EU.

The architect in charge, Chanelle Busuttil, said that the Mdina project was divided into two parts - St Peter's bastion and St Mary's bastion - and the area that needed the most work was Greek's Gate.

"Most of the work consists of the cleaning off of cement and lime layers, however we do have to replace some of the stonework detailing at Greek's Gate for instance," she added, explaining that some of the intricate stonework had deteriorated over the years.

Gatt said that work on the gate had not commenced yet, but that the area adjacent had been practically completed.

“The next step after so much restoration work is the maintenance of the structures,” Gatt said, explaining that a number of workers had been given specific abseiling courses to be able to carry out the maintenance efficiently.

Gatt said that a team of architects met on a monthly basis to review the areas that had just been restored and decide what maintenance work was needed.

Busuttil stressed that the project aimed to last as long as possible, which was why maintenance assessments were so frequent.

“Over the years, many restoration attempts, or rather interventions had taken place, but some were ultimately more damaging,” she said explaining that some of the previous attempts at restoration had introduced cement in various locations.

“Cement can sometimes be effective, but it might even lead to a deterioration of the original limestone,” she added.

Gatt said that the work on the area of St. Mary’s bastions was almost finished, and that once the whole project was completed, it would mark the first time that the entire perimeter of both Mdina and the Citadel in Gozo were completely restored.