It was built in 1810 as a memorial to Sir Alexander Ball, a British admiral who was the first Civil Commissioner of Malta.

Sir Alexander Ball was a British naval officer who was sent to Malta in 1798 to help the Maltese rebels in the blockade against the French.

[1] In December 1809, the Maltese set up a committee of "Deputies of the Nation" and petitioned the Acting Commissioner Francis Chapman to build a monument dedicated to Ball.

[2] The Lower Barrakka Gardens was chosen as the site to build the monument, since its location on the fortifications overlooking the Grand Harbour was appropriate to honour a naval officer, and it was an area popular with the local population.

Each of the four walls of the naos contains a niche containing allegorical statues representing War, Prudence, Justice and Immortality.