The Lion Statues by the Main Gate in Mdina, Malta, influenced by the design of Donatello's Marzocco, a statue of the heraldic lion that is a symbol of Florence. Probably the tradition to place lion statues in front of an entrance or gate, as symbols of power and prestige, was brought to Malta by the Knights of St John from Italy, where, most likely, it came from ancient Rome, Greece and Mesopotamia