St John's Square

St John's Square (Maltese: Pjazza San Ġwann, or Piazza san Giovanni) is found in front of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, the capital of Malta. It has several outdoor cafés, surrounded by a graceful arcade. In the middle of the square, facing the parvis and entrance to the cathedral, there is a small monument to former prime minister of Malta Enrico Mizzi, sculpted in 1964 by Vincent Apap (1909–2003). To the left and right of the cathedral entrance, are the Lion and Unicorn fountains, sculpted out of the native limestone by Maltese sculptor Mariano Gerada (1766–1823), which originally featured water transported to Valletta from the highlands around Mdina by means of the Wignacourt Aqueduct. Although this pjazza is today a favourite meeting place in the heart of Malta's baroque capital city, its origins are relatively recent. It did not form part of the original plans of the city, as drafted by the Knights' architect, Francesco Laparelli. Prior to the Second World War, two large apartment buildings with street-level store fronts stood on this location, divided by the narrow street then referred to as Strada San Zaccaria (now, Triq San Żakkarija). However, these buildings suffered massive damage due to aerial bombardment during the War. During the reconstruction years following the War, the Government of Malta requisitioned the central portion of both these buildings, to cre

Square data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).