Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1273901
THIRTY-THREE properties and mon- uments in Rabat, including the Church dedicated to St. Mark and its adjacent monastery, a number of unique resi- dences and statues located along Vjal Santu Wistin, Triq il-Muzew, Saqqajja and Triq Santu Wistin, have been given a Grade 1 or Grade 2 protection status for their architecture and heritage value. e Planning Authority, in close col- laboration with the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage, also gave Class A protection status to an archaeological site in Xaghra, Gozo, for a number of burial cavities which were recently dis- covered. e Church dedicated to St.Mark and its adjacent monastery, which fall under the religious order of the Augustinians, was given the highest protection status as a Grade 1 property. e construc- tion of the Church, based on a design of the famous Girolomo Cassar, start- ed in 1571 and was completed by 1588. Although along the years some changes to the interior design have been carried out, the original structure is still that of Cassar. e Church is decorated with a por- tico which enriches its harmonious façade. Girolomo Cassar seems to have designed the façade of the Church of St. Mark in Rabat on Renaissance ex- amples he had seen during his study at Naples and Rome. Inside, the church has a simple architectural layout which incorporates a nave, two side aisles and a choir apse. e Church is roofed over the wide nave with a barrel vault; one of the earliest in Malta and is considered to have served as a prototype for Cas- sar's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. e adjacent Augustinian monastery, which has undergone considerable re- structuring since it was originally built, is the design of architect Andrea Belli. e facade of the convent is a highly ornate baroque one, with an emphasis being drawn onto the main entrance, through columns, extensive sculpture and an elliptical balcony. e four limestone statues located within the semi-circular piazza, in front of the church at the beginning of Vjal Santu Wistin, are also being scheduled as Grade 1 monuments. e four stat- ues represent St Nicholas of Tolentino, Our Lady of Consolation, St Anthony the Abbot and St Augustine. All the original statues are the work of Ċensu Sammut; a master sculptor with ties to the Dimech family of sculptors. In Vjal Santu Wistin, a number of resi- dences have been scheduled as Grade 2 buildings for their architectural and his- torical merits. All the properties have an extensive front garden and provide a very rare and open streetscape, es- pecially when considering that streets- capes within Urban Conservation Areas (UCAs) generally consist of traditional 30.07.2020 10 TOWNSCAPES Properties, monuments and visual corridors in the area of Saqqajja Hill and Howard Garden given high protection status