The Auberge d'Italie ( mt, Berġa tal-Italja, it, Albergo d'Italia) is an
auberge in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
,
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 ...
. It was built at various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the
Order of Saint John
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
from the
langue of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, and it originally had a
Mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
design by
Girolamo Cassar
Girolamo Cassar ( mt, Ġlormu Cassar, 1520 – 1592) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1569. He was involved in the construction of Valletta ...
and several other architects. The building continued to be modified throughout the course of the 17th century, with the last major renovation being carried out in the 1680s during the magistracy of
Gregorio Carafa
Fra Gregorio Carafa (17 March 1615 – 21 July 1690) was a nobleman from the House of Carafa and the 61st Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1680 to his death in 1690.
Early life
Carafa was born on 17 March 1615 in Castelveter ...
, giving the building a
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
character.
After the Order was expelled from Malta in 1798, the auberge was used for a number of purposes, housing a military headquarters, an officers' mess, a museum, a school of arts, a courthouse, the General Post Office and various government departments.
[ Until recently, it housed the Malta Tourism Authority, and there are undergoing works of restoration. It is now converted to host the national collection (previously at National Museum of Fine Arts). In 2018 it became the new National Community Art Museum, ]MUŻA
MUŻA is an art museum located at Auberge d'Italie in Valletta, Malta. It was formerly located at Admiralty House between 1974 and 2016, when it was known as the National Museum of Fine Arts ( mt, Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti).
It houses a collect ...
(from the Maltese acronym ''Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti'').
History
Hospitaller rule
Auberge d'Italie was the third Italian auberge to be built in Malta. The first auberge was built in Birgu
Birgu ( mt, Il-Birgu , it, Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ("''Victorious City''"), is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of ...
in the 1550s, on the site of an earlier building which had been used by the Langue of Italy. Following the transfer of the capital city from Birgu to Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
, a second auberge was built in the centre of the new city in 1570–71. This building was eventually incorporated into the Grandmaster's Palace, and the present auberge began to be built in ''Strada San Giacomo'' (now Merchants Street). The original designs of both Valletta auberges were made by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar
Girolamo Cassar ( mt, Ġlormu Cassar, 1520 – 1592) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1569. He was involved in the construction of Valletta ...
.
There is no documentation recording the construction of the third Auberge d'Italie, but work began in 1574 and the building was inaugurated in September 1579. When the first floor was completed, construction of the rest of the building was suspended, but it soon became clear that the building was too small. On 25 August 1582, the decision to built a second floor was taken. Master mason Gio Andrea Farrugia was responsible for the construction, but he died before the project was completed. Construction continued throughout the 1580s, and was completed in around 1595. Apart from Cassar and Farrugia, several other architects and master masons were responsible for the construction of the auberge, including the engineer Francesco Antrini.
The Langue of Italy also built the Church of St. Catherine adjacent to the auberge. Construction of the church began in 1576, and it was enlarged and modified in 1683 and 1710.
Some repairs were made in 1604 by Alessandro Stafrace, after cracks appeared in part of the Main Hall. The auberge had an entrance facing a square in South Street, but this was blocked in 1629 when the square was built up (the square was recreated in 2012 as Jean de Valette Square). Historian Giovanni Bonello
Giovanni Bonello (born 11 June 1936 in Floriana) is a Maltese judge, judge of the European Court of Human Rights from 1 November 1998 until 31 October 2004. As the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe rejected the names proposed by the ...
suggests that this was the main entrance of the auberge, although it might have just been a side entrance. In 1649–50, a mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
was built beneath the Admiral's Room, and a large room at the rear of the building was converted into four shops in 1654. The archives were constructed in 1678.
A major renovation of the auberge in the Baroque style
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
began in 1680. The façade was remodelled by Mederico Blondel, and a third floor was constructed at the expense of Grand Master Gregorio Carafa
Fra Gregorio Carafa (17 March 1615 – 21 July 1690) was a nobleman from the House of Carafa and the 61st Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1680 to his death in 1690.
Early life
Carafa was born on 17 March 1615 in Castelveter ...
. An ornate centrepiece with a trophy of arms
A trophy or trophy of arms in art and architecture is a real or depicted artistically assembled display of weaponry and other militaria, often captured from a defeated enemy, as an ornament designed for the purpose of triumphalist display by a ...
containing a bust of Carafa was added above the main entrance. The trophy was sculpted by Raymond de La Fage out of marble taken from the ruins of the Temple of Proserpina
The Temple of Proserpina or Temple of Proserpine ( mt, Tempju ta' Proserpina) was a Roman temple in Mtarfa, Malta, an area which was originally a suburb outside the walls of Melite. It was dedicated to Proserpina, goddess of the underworld and ...
, an ancient Roman temple in Mtarfa
Mtarfa ( mt, L-Imtarfa) is a small town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 2,572 as of March 2014. It was considered to be a suburb of Rabat until 2000, when it became a separate local council.
History
A number of historic s ...
which had been discovered in 1613.
French occupation and British rule
The Order of St. John was expelled from Malta with the French invasion and occupation in 1798. Being located opposite Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's residence at Palazzo Parisio, the auberge was converted into the French military command. After Malta fell under British rule in 1800, it was used by both the military and civil administrations. In 1888 the ground floor was used to store the notary archives and the upper floor was occupied by the Department of Work. It was converted into a Civil Arsenal. Plans to set a protestant chapel was declined. At this point the ground floor also served as the Government Printing Office, while the upper floor was also used by the Royal Engineers. It later served as the Corps Headquarters and an officers' mess until the 1920s. In the early 19th century, chemist John Davy, who was in Malta with the Army Medical Staff, established a public dispensary at the auberge for the treatment of the poor and became known as the ''Albergo dei poveri'' (Auberge of the poor). The successor of this service, the Government Polyclinics, is still referred to as ''il-Berġa'' (the auberge).
In 1922, the National Museum was transferred from Palazzo Xara to Auberge d'Italie. The museum was directed by Sir Themistocles Zammit
Sir Themistocles "Temi" Zammit (or Żammit; 30 September 1864 – 2 November 1935) was a Maltese archaeologist and historian, professor of chemistry, medical doctor, researcher and writer. He served as Rector (1920–26) of the Royal Univer ...
, and it was divided into archaeology, history, arts, natural history and mineralogical sections. The museum closed down during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and the building received two direct hits on 7 April 1942. Part of the façade was destroyed by aerial bombardment, and the natural history collection suffered severe damage since it was located in the part of the building which was hit. Documents from the Notarial Archives
The Notarial Archives ( mt, L-Arkivji Nutarili) is an archive in Valletta, Malta, that contains about 20,000 volumes of contracts, wills and other legal documents from the 15th century to the present day. Its collections are significant both from ...
were stored in the auberge's basement during the war, and some were damaged while they were there. After the war ended, the damaged parts of the auberge were reconstructed, the museum was reopened and part of the building housed a school of art.
The Museums Department had to vacate Auberge d'Italie in 1954, when the building was converted into a temporary courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...
after the Courts of Justice had to vacate the war-damaged Auberge d'Auvergne
The Auberge d'Auvergne ( mt, Berġa ta' Alvernja) was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Auvergne. It became a courthouse in the 19th century, and it ...
due to its dilapidated state. The Criminal Court was stationed at the Auberge.
Independent Malta
In January 1971, the Superior Courts of Justice and the School of Arts vacated the building after moving into a new courthouse which had been built on the site of Auberge d'Auvergne. The building was to be converted into an examination hall, but in August of that year, it was assigned to the Posts and Telephones Department. After extensive renovations, the auberge opened as the General Post Office on 4 July 1973, taking over the role from Palazzo Parisio. The auberge remained the GPO until Posta Limited opened a new complex at Marsa in October 1997. The auberge was also used by the Water and Electricity Department, the Agricultural Department and the Central Office of Statistics.
In 1997, the decision was taken to convert the auberge into the offices for the Ministry of Tourism and the Malta Tourism Authority. The building was redecorated and restored, and the Ministry moved into the building on 18 March 2002. The Malta Tourism Authority moved in on 1 March of the same year. The Ministry for Tourism has since moved to new premises in 233, Republic Street, Valletta.
Plans to move the National Museum of Fine Arts from Admiralty House to Auberge d'Italie began in 2013. In September 2014, it was announced that the move will occur and the new museum would be called ''MUŻA'' (from the Maltese acronym ''Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti''). It is one of the projects for Valletta's title of European Capital of Culture in 2018. The Malta Tourism Authority was set to move out of the auberge to premises in Smart City
A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in return ...
during November 2016 but the move was delayed until February 2017. The auberge's façade was restored between late 2015 and July 2016. Various artistic features from the centrepiece were revealed during this time, and Carafa's bust was also restored. The building's interior is also being restored. Another considered but refuted plan was to reopen the probable original entrance, that would have had an added front staircase on Piazza De Valette.
The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925 together with the other auberges in Valletta. It is now scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, mt, L-Awtorità ta' Malta dwar l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning ...
, and it is also listed on the .
Architecture
Auberge d'Italie was originally built in the Mannerist style
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
, but the building acquired a mainly Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
character due to the 1680s renovation. The building has a rectangular plan with its rooms are built around a central courtyard
A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky.
Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...
, a layout typical of Italian Renaissance ''palazzi'' and Cassar's other auberges in Valletta such as Auberge d'Aragon
The Auberge d'Aragon ( mt, Berġa ta' Aragona) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1571 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Aragon, Navarre and Catalonia. It is the only surviving auberge in Vall ...
. The courtyard contains a triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...
which is thought to have been designed by Romano Carapecchia.
It has a symmetrical façade with an ornate Baroque centrepiece above the main entrance, containing a bronze bust of Carafa and his coat of arms, together with a marble trophy-of-arms and a Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
inscription which reads:
The centrepiece is thought to have been built by the architect Mederico Blondel based on a design by Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John.
Life
Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...
. The main entrance and the corners of the building are rusticated. Each of the three floors contains a set of six windows, and a cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
runs along the façade between the first and second floors.
Auberge de'Italie is linked to Auberge de Castille
The Auberge de Castille ( mt, Berġa ta' Kastilja) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. The auberge is located at Castile Place, close to Saint James Cavalier, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It sits at the highest poin ...
across the street through a World War II-era underground air-raid shelter
Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of non-combatants as well as combatants against enemy attacks from the air. They are similar to bunkers in many regards, although they are not designed to defend against ground attack (but many ...
.
Commemorative coins
Auberge d'Italie was depicted on two commemorative coins minted in 2010 by the Central Bank of Malta. The coins show the centrepiece of the building's façade on the reverse and the coat of arms of Malta
The coat of arms of Malta is the national coat of arms of the country of Malta.
The present coat of arms is described by the Emblem and Public Seal of Malta Act of 1988 as a shield showing an heraldic representation of the national flag of Malta ...
on the obverse.
Notes
References
Further reading
Details on the restoration of the façade and the trophy
€5 million for MUZA in the Auberge d'Italie
Story of the Italian Langue and the Auberge
The building during the British rule
External links
*
{{Valletta
Buildings and structures completed in 1579
Buildings and structures in Valletta
Palaces in Valletta
Museums in Valletta
Defunct schools in Malta
Former courthouses in Malta
Former post office buildings
Baroque architecture in Malta
Post office buildings in Malta
Limestone buildings in Malta
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands