AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Tucked into Howard Gardens, on the green belt that wraps the landward side of Mdina's bastions, the Pawlu Xuereb Monument is a bronze statue honouring Paul Xuereb (Pawlu Xuereb, 1923–1994), the politician and literary figure from neighbouring Rabat who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and then as Acting President of Malta. Cast by sculptor Anton Agius, it stands in a leafy public park rather than inside the Silent City itself, making it an easy and peaceful stop for anyone walking the route between Rabat and Mdina's Main Gate.↗↗
It is small in scale but rich in context. The statue gives you a moment to learn about a man who moved between letters and politics, while the garden around it offers shaded paths, benches and the best low-angle views of the Mdina fortifications, with the ditch and the remains of Roman Melite spreading out beyond.↗↗
Who Pawlu Xuereb was
Pawlu "Paul" Xuereb was born in Rabat in 1923 and educated in London at the Regent Street Polytechnic, where he read journalism, political economy and political science. Back in Malta from 1950 he worked in trade, education and publishing, becoming literary editor at Freedom Press and assistant editor of The Voice of Malta before moving into frontline politics. Elected to Parliament in 1962 and returned in 1966, 1971, 1976 and 1981, he served as a Cabinet Minister and later as Speaker of the House of Representatives. On 16 February 1987 he took the Oath of Office as Acting President of the Republic, serving until 1989; he died in 1994.