It was installed in 1728 by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, and it was relocated a few metres from its original location in the 1950s.

[3] During World War II, in order to prevent it from being damaged from aerial bombardment, the lion sculpture was moved to a nearby arcade and it was encased in stone.

[3] In 1958, the fountain was reconstructed a few metres away from its original location,[3][4] and the lion was reinstalled on the night of 31 December 1958 to 1 January 1959.

[1] The fountain was included in the 1932 Antiquities Protection List, and on 22 December 2009 it was scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

(meaning To the increasing population of this suburb, Grand Master Don António Manoel de Vilhena, who holds the inhabitants so close to his heart, decreed that this Fountain is erected – 1728)[1] The fountain was depicted on a €0.06 postage stamp issued by MaltaPost on 27 March 2013.