The Great Siege Monument dominates the small square in front of the law courts. It is the work of the celebrated Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino and was inaugurated on the 8th May 1927.
The Siege of Malta was one of the bloodiest and most fiercely contested in history, and one which became one of the most celebrated events in sixteenth century Europe. Voltaire said, "Nothing is more well known than the siege of Malta," . The siege was the climax of an escalating contest between a Christian alliance and the Ottoman Empire for control of the Mediterranean. It undoubtedly contributed to the eventual erosion of the European perception of Ottoman invincibility.
The Turkish armada was one of the largest assembled since antiquity. According to the Italian-Spanish mercenary Francisco Balbi di Correggio the Ottomans had a force of 48,000 well-trained fighting men while Malta’s defences consisted of 500 Knights of the Order, 2600 foreign soldiers and 3000 soldiers from the Maltese population. With them were those able-bodied Maltese who remained on the Island ( the population of Malta at the time was around 10,000 – of these old and infirm people were evacuated to Sicily immediately the imminent invasion of Malta was known). No wonder that French Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette was lauded all over Europe and was honoured by the French monarch with a gold sword and dagger encrusted with gems for his feat – the sword and dagger today are exhibited at the Louvres in Paris having been taken away as spoils of war by the French when they invaded Malta. I have had the opportunity to see them when I visited Paris some 3 years ago.
Great history. Nice picture with the red next to what looks like white marble with the black statue. And a georgious building in the background.Like the windows too.
