Fra Alof de Wignacourt was a French nobleman who was the 54th Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 10 February 1601 to his death in 1622. Unlike a number of the other Grand Masters, he was popular with the Maltese people. Wignacourt is mostly remembered for the construction of the Wignacourt Aqueduct as well as a series of coastal towers which also bear his name.
Official portrait of Wignacourt
Coat of arms of Wignacourt on the reconstructed Wignacourt Arch
1601 grano coin of Wignacourt
Part of the Wignacourt Aqueduct at Birkirkara
The Wignacourt Aqueduct is a 17th-century aqueduct in Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta. The aqueduct carried water through underground pipes and over arched viaducts across depressions in the ground.
Part of the aqueduct at Birkirkara
Lone arch at Balzan
Wignacourt Aqueduct at the boundary between Balzan and Birkirkara
Part of the aqueduct at Birkirkara, now on the grounds of a government school