The Grandmaster's Palace

This palace, originally built in 1569, was purchased in the 1570s by Grand Master Jean de la Cassiere and subsequently enlarged by Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar. Situated in the heart of Valletta, opposite St George's Square, it is the capital city's  largest palace. The facade, designed in a rather severe Mannerist style, belies the richness of the interior.

From the 16th century, until the Knights left Malta in 1798, the palace served as the official residence of the Grand Master of the order of St John and was known as the Magisterial Palace. During the British period it became the Governor's Palace. It currently hosues the offices of the President of Malta. The palace was also the seat of Malta's first constitutional parliament in 1921.

Although the Grandmaster's Palace occupies a whole city block, it is nowhere near as grand, or on as large a scale, as European palaces like Versailles, the Schonbrunn or any other palace built for royalty - after all, even though the Knights were members of some of the most prominent aristocratic families of Europe, they were a religious order. Which does not mean they lived in misery because the palace has its own innate charm and architectural grandeur.

A unique and intact set of Gobelin tapesteries named “Les Teintures des Indes”, a gift to the Order from Grand Master Ramon Perellos in 1710, decorate the Council Chamber (sorry no photos allowed but you may take a virtual tour by going to the link at the bottom of this post). The ceilings and corridors are lavishly decorated with frescoes of naval battles, coats of arms and allegorical scenes. Portraits of the Grand Masters hang on the walls and suits of armour line the corridors.

Five State rooms are open to the public, including the Red and Yellow State Rooms, the Hall  of the Supreme Council and the State Dining Room.

The palace is built around two courtyards  - one of which is dominated by a bronze statue of Neptune. The palace armoury is located on the ground floor, in what used to be the palace stables (more on the armoury some other time).

The Grandmaster's Palace, Palace Square, Valletta

Opening hours:

Monday to Sunday: 09.00 - 17.00hrs
Last admission: 16.30hrs

Closed on 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January & Good Friday. The Palace and Armoury may be also closed on other days due to state functions and activities.

Useful links:

• Snapshots of … The Courtyards at the Grandmaster's Palace
• The Palace Staterooms - A Virtual Tour
• The Tapestry Chamber - A Virtual Tour

Inside Auberge de Castille

The Auberge de Castille, Leon and Portugal was designed by Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar in 1574. It was remodelled and almost entirely rebuilt in 1741, under the direction of architect Andrea Belli. The auberges, of which there are several, were built to house Knights who had no residence in Malta. Auberge de Castille is, architecturally, considered to be the finest and the most grand. Of particular note is the imposing main staircase.

 

The person in charge of this auberge was the Grand Chancellor of the Order of St John. The Knights of Castille were responsible for the defence of a part of Valletta’s fortifications, known as St Barbara Bastion. Auberge de Castille is situated at the highest point of Valletta and commands a wonderful view of Grand Harbour and of the surrounding towns, villages and distant countryside.

After the Knights of St John left Malta in 1798, Auberge de Castille served as the headquarters of the French occupation forces until 1800. After 1800 it became the British army headquarters. In 1972 Auberge de Castille became the office of the Prime Minister of Malta. It continues to house this office to the present day and it is usually off-limits to the public. These photos were taken during the Christmas period when the auberge was open for an exhibition of paintings of the Nativity.

As a side-note, this Christmas tree is made of hand-blown glass spheres created and assembled by glassblowers from Mdina Glass.

Auberge de Castille, Leon and Portugal

Castille Place

Valletta

 

Snapshots of … The Courtyards at the Grand Master’s Palace

The Grand Master’s Palace was built in 1571. It was designed by Girolamo Cassar and is built around two courtyards. The smaller courtyard is known as Prince Alfred’s Courtyard and was so named to commemorate the visit of Prince Alfred in 1851. Adorning this courtyard is Pinto’s Clock which was created in 1745.

The other, larger courtyard is dominated by a bronze statue of the god Neptune and it is commonly called Neptune’s Courtyard.

Location: The Grand Master’s Palace Courtyards, St George’s Square, Valletta

November 2012

The Staircase At Verdala Palace

Verdala Palace is the official summer and holiday residence of the President of Malta. It is not normally open to the public but every couple of years or so an open weekend is held. Naturally, thousands of people flock to this historic place. It has been a while since we had the opportunity to visit so these photos are from my archives. I had written a post about the palace and about the Blue Lady that is said to haunt it here. Today I am going to focus on one of the palace’s most unique and beautiful features: its main staircase.

The staircase is elliptical and was designed by Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar, who was also responsible for a number of other magnificent buildings. It is said, that to give it its unique design, no two stones are the exact same size. This staircase is a prime example of Baroque architecture  - a style that was purposefully designed to be both grandiose and awe-inspiring. I am sure that this staircase does not disappoint in either respect.

 

For a view of the castle in 360 go here.

Verdala Palace

Buskett

St Mark’s Priory

St Mark’s priory is situated in a narrow street in the hear of the town of Rabat – just a stone’s throw from Mdina. The first priory which existed in the area was demolished in 1551 during an attack by the Turks since its proximity to Mdina was deemed as a security risk. A new priory was built and completed in 1558 by architect Girolamo Cassar. Parts of the priory were later re-modelled by Tommaso Dingli in 1652. In 1740 the priory was largely rebuilt, since the original structure was almost completely dilapidated, this time according to the plan of Andrea Belli. The Baroque façade of the building we see today is probably one of the most elaborate in Rabat. During the French occupation of Malta by Napoleon and his troops, the friars were ordered to leave the priory and it was stripped of all decoration. The French also removed the emblems on the portico.

During WW2 the priory served as a school for boys and also as a home for male refugees from the Cottonera area (most people who lived in the Cottonera area were evacuated to towns further inland due to the proximity of the dockyard which was a prime war-time target).

 

The priory did not sustain any damage during the war and as a result has remained unchanged for over 250 years. I have walked past this priory hundreds of times but what lies inside is a mystery to me. The heavy wooden door is nearly always closed and it is only on very few occasions that it has been left ajar and I was able to catch a glimpse of the interior which, in contrast to the façade, appears to be very simple – long white-washed corridors surrounding an internal courtyard; glimpses of another world, of an almost forgotten way of life.

You may view a complete history of the priory here.