Career
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. His reign was notable for the construction of a number of coastal fortifications (the Wignacourt towers), and of the Wignacourt Aqueduct that brought water from the plateau above Rabat to Valletta.
The Wignacourt Architecture was built as a part of the aqueduct between Birkirkara and Santa Venera, and it had his coat of arms with three fleur-de-lys on it, giving it the name of the Fleur-de-Lys Gate.
A settlement which developed around this area is now known as Fleur-de-Lys, and the three fleur-de-lys from the coat of arms also appear on the flag of Santa Venera. During his reign, in 1614 the Ottomans made their final attempt to conquer Malta.
Six thousand men landed at Marsascala Bay, and raided the village of Żejtun. The Order"s cavalry and Maltese civilians, however, managed to overcome the Turks who retreated, without a single Christian dead.
His parade armour survives and is one of the treasures of the armoury of the Grandmaster"s Palace in Valletta.
He died of apoplexy while he was out shooting on 14 September 1622 at the age of 75.
