The Archbishop's Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz tal-Arċisqof), known prior to 1944 as the Bishop's Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz tal-Isqof), is a palatial building in
Mdina,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
which is a residence of the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
Archbishop of Malta. It was constructed in the early 18th century, and it is located close to
St Paul's Cathedral and the
Mdina Cathedral Museum.
History
A Bishop's residence existed in Mdina in 1445, and amongst other functions it housed the diocese's archives (''Archivum Archiepiscopalis Melitensis'', AAM). The residence and administrative seat moved from Mdina to a second
Bishop's Palace in the capital city of
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...
in the mid-1630s.
The present building was constructed between 1718 and 1720 according to the designs of architect
Lorenzo Gafà
Lorenzo Gafà (1639–1703) was a Maltese Baroque architect and sculptor. He designed many churches in the Maltese Islands, including St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina and the Cathedral of the Assumption in Victoria, Gozo. He was the younger bro ...
, shortly after the reconstruction of the adjacent
St Paul's Cathedral.
On 10 June 1798, during the
French invasion of Malta
The French invasion of Malta ( mt, Invażjoni Franċiża ta' Malta) was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part of ...
, the palace hosted a council meeting during which city officials decided to surrender Mdina to the French without a fight. The capitulation document was signed within the palace, and on the same day French general
Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois (1 October 1748 in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, Aube – 5 November 1839) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for the surrender of Malta to the British in 1 ...
and his staff were invited to dine with Bishop
Vincenzo Labini.
Architecture
The palace is built within a restricted site in Archbishop's Square directly adjacent to the Cathedral and the
city's fortifications. Its exterior gives an impression of importance and elegance despite being dominated by the cathedral, and the ground floor consists of small, undecorated rooms while the upper floor is more imposing.
See also
*
Bishop's Palace, Birgu
*
Archbishop's Palace, Valletta
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Mdina
Buildings and structures completed in 1720
Episcopal palaces of the Catholic Church
Limestone buildings in Malta
Mdina