The restoration and maintenance works being carried out on the building of the Notarial Archives has reached the final stage, Minister for Justice Jonathan Attard said on Monday.

At a press conference at the Notarial Archives in Valletta, Attard said that this project of more than a €5 million investment will safeguard Maltese heritage and will continue to preserve more than 20,000 volumes of notarial acts that have prestigious international, historical, and social value.

The investment in the project is being partially financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

The works have been underway so that the Notarial Archives building becomes a centre of various services.

Attard said that the accessibility of the archives will be improved for researchers as well as the public.

“Our country will have a centre of excellence to research the history that emerges from these volumes of notarial acts. This means that not only will it be enjoyed now, but we will also ensure that we leave our posterity access to the notarial history of our country,” Attard said.

Government notary Keith German was present at the visit, where he said that the project includes the merging of two buildings into one, which will house a new repository, a state-of-the-art laboratory for conservation of paper, and a visitor centre which will showcase the collection and attract local research communities, as well as the public and cultural tourists.

The Kantilena, the oldest known literary text in the Maltese language, will be exhibited amongst other important documents.