The Lion Column, East Street corner with Archbishop Street – Valletta
At the corner of East Street and Archbishop’s Street in Valletta, also known as Fuq l-Iljun, stands the De Vilhena lion statue on a high stone pedestal. The monument, which comprises a lion holding an escutcheon with the coat of arms of the Portuguese Grand Master Manoel De Vilhena (1663-1735) dates back to the 18th century.1
While its original purpose may no longer be widely recognised, the statue once served as a visible marker of property in East Street by the Fondazione Vilhena. 2 During the rule of the Order of St John, the street was known as Strada San Luigi and was later renamed Strada Levante. House No. 70 was constructed by the Manoel Foundation on the site of an earlier dwelling that formed part of the bequest of Domenico Bologna. In exchange for this property, the Manoel Foundation transferred to the trustees of the Bologna bequest the agricultural fields known as tad-Dar, ta’ Roner, and tan-Nudar. A similar column once stood at the end of St Christopher Street. 3 It is believed to have been removed in the aftermath of the Second World War, when the surrounding area suffered extensive destruction as a result of aerial bombardment.
Comparison with nineteenth-century photographs reveals that the lion standing today atop the column at the corner of East Street and Archbishop Street is not the original. Notable differences are visible in both the coat of arms and the lion’s mane (see Figures 2 and 3).
The original sculpture was apparently replaced after it sustained damage during the Second World War. According to some sources, the new sculpture is attributed to the sculptor Marco Montebello, who was conscripted for military service in 1940. 4 In recognition of his artistic talent, he was assigned to carry out restoration works on historic buildings and monuments that had been damaged during the war. 5
The monument was scheduled in 2008 as a Grade 1 national monument6 and was restored shortly after by Din L-Art Ħelwa in 20097. In 2020 it was once again deemed in need of attention, and a new intervention was undertaken by the Restoration and Preservation Department.
The Restoration Process
The initial phase of the intervention comprised the removal of superfluous accretions and the careful manual cleaning of loose surface deposits. The statue and its pedestal were cleaned using soft brushes, and deteriorated mortar joints were raked out. Friable and powdering stone surfaces, particularly those on the lion’s coat of arms, were consolidated with ammonium oxalate poultices. Areas of dark biological staining on the lion’s back were treated with biocide-containing poultices. Localized stone replacement was undertaken where the original material was structurally unsound, while areas that had lost surface definition were repaired to improve legibility. All mortar mixes used in the conservation work were based on natural hydraulic lime.
References:
- Restoration and Preservation Department. (2024). Restoration Works Scheme for Local Councils. Projects Undertaken by the Restoration Directorate.
- Denaro, V.F. (1962). Still more houses in Valletta. Melita Historica, 3(3), 42-58
- Morana, M. (2023). L-Imkejjen tal-Belt Valletta. (Retreived from https://kliemustorja.com/2023/07/29/l-imkejjen-tal-belt-valletta/ on 09.07.2026.)
- Pace, J. (2026, February 3). Dak l-iljun qieghed il-belt hdejn il-Barrakka t isfel, kien skolpieh l skultur famuz u kapacissimu MARCO MONTEBELLO. Li hadem hafna (…) [Comment on “Nostalgia Malta | Valletta – Iljun fuq pedestal tal-gebel bil-Coat of arms tal-Gran Mastru Vilhena | Facebook”].
- Bonnici Cali’, R. (1988). Artisti Li Niftakar (64). Marco Montebello (1915-1988). Leħen is-Sewwa. 20 ta’ Lulju 1988.
- Legal Notice 276/08 published in The Malta Government Gazette, Nr. 18.218 (28.03.2008)
- Din l-Art Ħelwa – National Trust of Malta. (2023, September 5). De Vilhena Lion Statue, Valletta. Retrieved April 23, 2026, from https://www.static.dinlarthelwa.org/heritage-sites/de-vilhena-lion-statue-valletta-2/
