Hompesch Gate on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Hompesch Gate () is a commemorative
Following the elevation of their village to a city, the people of Żabbar wanted to build a monument to the Grand Master. In 1798, the
arch
An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
in Żabbar
Żabbar ( ), also known as Città Hompesch, is a city in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. It is the seventh largest city in the country, with an estimated population of 15,648 as of January 2021. Originally a part of Żejtun, Żabbar ...
, Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
. It was built in 1801 to commemorate the locality's status as a city, which had been granted by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim
Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, O.S.I. (9 November 1744 – 12 May 1805) was the 71st Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, formally the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, by then better known as the Knights of Malta. He was the first G ...
on 14 September 1797.
History
Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim
Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, O.S.I. (9 November 1744 – 12 May 1805) was the 71st Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, formally the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, by then better known as the Knights of Malta. He was the first G ...
, the Grand Master of the Order of St. John
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...
, attended the feast of the village of Żabbar on 10 September 1797. The inhabitants welcomed the Grand Master's visit, and the parish priest, Don Carlo Caruana, requested that the village be elevated to the status of a city. Hompesch agreed and gave Żabbar the title Città Hompesch by a decree dated 14 September 1797.
Following the elevation of their village to a city, the people of Żabbar wanted to build a monument to the Grand Master. In 1798, the French invasion of Malta
The French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte successfully invaded the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo, then Hospitaller Malta, ruled by the Knights Hospitaller, in June 1798 as part of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, Mediter ...
expelled Hompesch and the Order from the island. The invasion was followed by a brief French occupation and a Maltese uprising, before Malta became a British protectorate
British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...
in 1800. These political upheavals delayed the construction of a monument.
In December 1801, while repair works were being made to the Żabbar Sanctuary, Don Caruana decided to build the Hompesch Gate. The arch does not make any reference to the Grand Master or the Order, due to the sensitive political context in which it was constructed. An armorial crest was supposed to surmount the arch, and although the sculpture was begun it was never finished.
The Hompesch Gate was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. The arch is now scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument, and it is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mon ...
.
Architecture
Hompesch Gate is built in theneoclassical style
Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...
. It consists of a single arch
An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
ed opening, flanked by two pairs of Doric pilasters. The arch is topped by a triangular pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
, below which lies a depiction of Our Lady of Graces
Our Lady of Graces (Italian: ''Madonna delle Grazie'' or ''Nostra Signora delle Grazie'') or Saint Mary of Graces (Italian: ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'') is a devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. Several churches with this d ...
.
See also
*De Rohan Arch
The De Rohan Arch (; ), also known as the New Gateway (), is a commemorative arch in Żebbuġ, Malta. It was built in 1798 to commemorate the locality's status as a city, which had been granted by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc on 21 June ...
*List of post-Roman triumphal arches
This is a list of post-Roman triumphal arches. Since the Renaissance period, rulers and states have sought to glorify themselves or commemorate victories by erecting triumphal arches on the Roman model. Modern arches have ranged from temporary st ...
References
{{reflist Arches and vaults in Malta Żabbar Buildings and structures completed in 1801 Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Neoclassical architecture in Malta 1801 establishments in Malta Roundabouts and traffic circles in Malta