The Grandmaster's Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz tal-Granmastru), officially known as The Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz), is a
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
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 between the 16th and 18th centuries as the palace of the
Grand Master of the
Order of St. John, who
ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798, and was also known as the Magisterial Palace ( mt, Palazz Maġisterjali). When the knights were expelled by Napoleonic France, it became the National Palace. During the period of British rule beginning in 1800, it was the Governor's Palace ( mt, Palazz tal-Gvernatur).
The Palace currently houses the
Office of the President of Malta. It was also the seat of the
Parliament of Malta
The Parliament of Malta ( mt, Il-Parlament ta' Malta) is the constitutional legislative body in Malta, located in Valletta. The parliament is unicameral, with a democratically elected House of Representatives and the President of Malta. By const ...
from 1921 to 2015. Parts of the building, namely the Palace State Rooms and the
Palace Armoury
The Palace Armoury ( mt, L-Armerija tal-Palazz) is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta. It was the main armoury of the Order of St. John in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as such it was the last arsenal esta ...
are open to the public as a museum run by
Heritage Malta
Heritage Malta ( mt, Patrimonju Malta) is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency replaced the former Museums Department.
Or ...
. The building is currently undergoing a major restoration project with only part of the armoury accessible to the public via the entrance on Merchant's Street.
Location
The Grandmaster's Palace occupies a
city block
A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design.
A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...
in the centre of
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 ...
, and it is the largest palace in the city. Its façade is located opposite the
Main Guard in St. George's Square ( mt, Misraħ San Ġorġ) along Republic Street ( mt, Triq ir-Repubblika).
The palace is also bounded by Archbishop Street ( mt, Triq l-Arċisqof), Old Theatre Street ( mt, Triq it-Teatru l-Antik) and Merchants Street ( mt, Triq il-Merkanti).
History
Hospitaller rule
![Grandmasters Palace Valletta n01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Grandmasters_Palace_Valletta_n01.jpg)
When the
Order of St. John established the new city of
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 ...
in 1566, the original intention was to built the palace of the
Grand Master on high ground in the southern part of the city (on or near the site later occupied by
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 ...
). In fact, present-day South Street ( mt, Triq in-Nofsinhar) was originally known as ''Strada del Palazzo'', since the palace was meant to be built there.
The site of the palace was originally occupied by several buildings, including the house of the knight Eustachio del Monte which was built in 1569,
and the ''auberge'' of the
langue of Italy which was built in around 1571.
Both of these buildings were built to designs of 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 ...
.
In 1571, Grand Master
Pierre de Monte
Fra' Pietro del Monte (1499 − 26 January 1572) was an Italian nobleman who was the 50th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John from 1568 to 1572.
Pietro del Monte was born in Italy in 1499. His original name was Guido Lotti, but took the name ...
moved the Order's headquarters to Valletta, and he lived in the house of Eustachio del Monte, who was his nephew. The Council of the Order subsequently purchased the house, and in 1574 it began to be enlarged into a palace for the Grand Master. By this time, del Monte had died and he was succeeded as Grand Master by
Jean de la Cassière
Fra' Jean l'Evesque de la Cassière (1502 – 21 December 1581) was the 51st Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1572 to 1581. He commissioned the building of the Conventual Church of the Order (now Saint John's Co-Cathedral) in Vallett ...
. The Italian langue moved to a
new auberge in 1579, and the original auberge was also incorporated into the palace.
The Grandmaster's Palace was built to
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, ...
designs of Glormo Cassar.
The palace was modified and embellished by subsequent Grand Masters, which gave 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. The ceilings of the main corridors were decorated with frescoes by
Nicolau Nasoni
Nicolau Nasoni (or originally Niccoló Nasoni, 2 June 1691 – 30 August 1773) was an Italian artist and architect mostly active in Portugal.
He became one of the most influential figures in Portuguese Baroque architecture with his original and v ...
in 1724, during the magistracy of
António Manoel de Vilhena
António Manoel de Vilhena (28 May 1663 – 10 December 1736) was a Portuguese nobleman who was the 66th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736. Unlike a number of the other Grand Ma ...
.
In the 1740s, Grand Master
Manuel Pinto da Fonseca
Manuel Pinto da Fonseca (also ''Emmanuel Pinto de Fonseca''; 24 May 1681 – 23 January 1773) was a Portuguese nobleman, the 68th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1741 until his death.
He undertook many building projects, introduc ...
made extensive alterations to the building and gave it its present configuration. Pinto's renovations included the embellishment of the façade, the opening of a second main entrance, and the construction of a clock tower in one of the courtyards.
In the 1770s, the traveller
Patrick Brydone wrote that:
French occupation
During the
French occupation of Malta, the building became known as the ''Palais National'' (National Palace). The name was a reflection of the French ideas resulting from the revolution and part of the whole reformed establishment in Malta.
British rule and independent Malta
The Grandmaster's Palace became the official residence of the
governor of Malta
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
after Malta fell under British rule in 1800, and it therefore became known as the Governor's Palace.
During the British protectorate, the kitchen of the palace which served the Grand Master was converted into an Anglican chapel. A
semaphore station was installed on the palace's belvedere in the 1840s. Parts of the building, including the hall housing the
Palace Armoury
The Palace Armoury ( mt, L-Armerija tal-Palazz) is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta. It was the main armoury of the Order of St. John in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as such it was the last arsenal esta ...
, were hit by aerial bombardment 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 ...
, but the damage was subsequently repaired.
The Grandmaster's Palace was the seat of the
Parliament of Malta
The Parliament of Malta ( mt, Il-Parlament ta' Malta) is the constitutional legislative body in Malta, located in Valletta. The parliament is unicameral, with a democratically elected House of Representatives and the President of Malta. By const ...
from 1921 to 2015. Parliament met in the Tapestry Hall from 1921 to 1976, when it moved to the former armoury. The House of Representatives moved out of the Grandmaster's Palace to the purpose-built
Parliament House on 4 May 2015.
During Malta's first presidency of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
in 2017 the former parliamentary meeting hall was used to host the meetings of the
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...
.
Following Malta's independence in 1964, the building became the seat of the
Governor-General of Malta
The governor-general of Malta ( mt, Gvernatur-Ġenerali ta' Malta) was the official representative of Elizabeth II, Queen of Malta, in the State of Malta from 1964 to 1974. This office replaced that of the governor, and it was replaced by that ...
. It has housed the Office of the
President of Malta
The president of Malta ( mt, President ta' Malta) is the constitutional head of state of Malta. The President is indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term and requires them to ...
since the office was established in 1974.
Parts of the building, namely the Palace State Rooms and the
Palace Armoury
The Palace Armoury ( mt, L-Armerija tal-Palazz) is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta. It was the main armoury of the Order of St. John in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as such it was the last arsenal esta ...
, are open to the public as a museum run by
Heritage Malta
Heritage Malta ( mt, Patrimonju Malta) is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency replaced the former Museums Department.
Or ...
.
The palace was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. It is now a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also listed on the
.
Architecture
Exterior
![Valletta, Großmeisterpalast, Merchantsstreet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Valletta%2C_Gro%C3%9Fmeisterpalast%2C_Merchantsstreet.JPG)
The main façade of the Grandmaster's Palace is built in the simple and austere
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, ...
style, typical of its architect Cassar. The façade is asymmetrical due to the extensive alterations carried out to the building over the centuries, and it has heavy
rustications at the corners along with an uninterrupted
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 ...
at roof level.
There are two main entrances on the façade, and they each consist of an arched doorway surrounded by an ornate portal which supports an open balcony. Long closed timber balconies wrap around the corners of the main façade. Both the portals and the balconies were added to the building in the 18th century.
The side façade in Old Theatre Street contains a secondary main entrance which leads to one of the courtyards.
The building's exterior was originally painted in
red ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
, a colour used by the Order to mark public buildings.
Interior
State Rooms
![Grandmasters Palace Valletta n09](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Grandmasters_Palace_Valletta_n09.jpg)
The Throne Room ( mt, Is-Sala tat-Tron), originally known as the Grand Council Hall ( mt, Is-Sala tal-Gran Kunsill, it, Sala del Maggior Consiglio) was built during the reign of Grandmaster
Jean de la Cassière
Fra' Jean l'Evesque de la Cassière (1502 – 21 December 1581) was the 51st Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1572 to 1581. He commissioned the building of the Conventual Church of the Order (now Saint John's Co-Cathedral) in Vallett ...
. It was used by successive Grandmasters to host ambassadors and visiting high ranking dignitaries. During the
British administration it became known as the Hall of Saint Michael and Saint George after the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
which was founded in 1818 in Malta and the
Ionian Islands. It is currently used for state functions held by the
President of Malta
The president of Malta ( mt, President ta' Malta) is the constitutional head of state of Malta. The President is indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term and requires them to ...
.
The cycle of wall paintings decorating the upper part of the hall are the work
Matteo Perez d'Aleccio
Matteo is the Italian form of the given name Matthew. Another form is Mattia. The Hebrew meaning of Matteo is "gift of god". Matteo can also be used as a patronymic surname, often in the forms of de Matteo, De Matteo or DeMatteo, meaning " escenda ...
and represent various episodes of the
Great Siege of Malta
The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...
. The coat-of-arms of Grand Master
Jean de Valette
Fra' Jean "Parisot" de la Valette (4 February 1495 – 21 August 1568) was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller, joining the order in the ''Langue de P ...
on the wall recess behind the minstrels gallery was painted by
Giuseppe Calì
Giuseppe Calì (14 August 1846 – 1 March 1930) was a Maltese painter of Italian descent.
Biography
Born in Valletta, Calì was baptised at the Dominican Parish Church of Porto Salvo, one of the seven offsprings of the artist and musici ...
.
![Palazzo del Grande Maestro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Palazzo_del_Grande_Maestro.interno.jpg)
In 1818, the British transformed this hall by completely covering the walls with neo-classical architectural features designed by Lieutenant-Colonel George Whitmore. These were removed in the early 20th century. The minstrel's gallery is thought to have been relocated to this hall from the palace chapel which was probably its original location. Of particular interest is the original coffered ceiling and the late 18th century-style chandeliers.
The other state rooms are the Tapestry Hall ( mt, Is-Sala tal-Arazzi), the State Dining Hall ( mt, Is-Sala tal-Pranzu), the Ambassador's Room ( mt, Is-Sala tal-Ambaxxaturi) and the Page's Waiting Room ( mt, Is-Sala tal-Paġġi).
Armoury
A large hall at the rear of the palace was used as an armoury from 1604 onwards. The arms collection in the Palace Armoury is regarded as one of "the most valuable historic monuments of European culture", despite retaining only a fraction of its original size. The armoury includes many suits of armour, cannons, firearms, swords, and other weapons, including the personal armour of some Grand Masters such as
Alof de Wignacourt
Fra Alof de Wignacourt (1547 – 14 September 1622) was a French nobleman who was the 54th Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 10 February 1601 to his death in 1622. Unlike a number of the other Grand Masters, he was popul ...
, and Ottoman weapons captured during the
Great Siege of Malta
The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...
in 1565.
The original hall of the armoury was converted into the meeting place of the Parliament of Malta in 1975–76,
and the arms collection was relocated to two former stables at the palace's ground floor, where it remains today. The armoury has been open to the public as a museum since 1860.
Part of the restoration works currently underway include the relocation of the palace armoury back to its original location.
Courtyards
![Valletta Grandmasters palace Malta 2014 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Valletta_Grandmasters_palace_Malta_2014_4.jpg)
The palace is built around two courtyards, which are now known as Neptune's Courtyard and Prince Alfred's Courtyard.
In 1712
Romano Carapecchia designed the ''
Perellos fountain'', originally dominating the courtyard under the loggias, but since the British period became hidden from the main view with the Statue of Neptune and a garden landscape in the middle. The statue was brought to decorate the courtyard, on orders of the British Governor
John Gaspard Le Marchant, some time between 1858 and 1864.
Some escutcheons containing the coats of arms of Grand Masters of the Order are found affixed to the wall of one of the corridors of Neptune's Courtyard. These formerly adorned some of the Order's buildings, but they were removed in the 19th century. They were retrieved by Governor Sir
Arthur Lyon Fremantle in 1897, and were affixed to the courtyard "for their better preservation", as indicated by a marble slab below the coats of arms.
Prince Alfred's Courtyard contains a clock tower, which includes the Moors Clock as well as three other dials. The clock was designed by Gaetano Vella and it was inaugurated on 11 June 1745, being modified by
Michelangelo Sapiano in 1894. Local tradition states that the clock is much older, having been brought from
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
at the time of the Order's arrival in Malta in 1530.
Alleged haunting
The palace is allegedly haunted by a number of ghosts. According to an English lady who stayed at the palace while it was the residence of the British Governor, she used to hear sounds of cats and dogs fighting in one of the rooms, but she saw nothing once she entered the room. One time, the ghost manifested itself in the form of a large cat, which jumped through a window before vanishing. Another woman reportedly felt the presence of a ghost when sleeping at the palace.
Notes
References
Further reading
*
Francesco Zerafa Francesco "Franco" Zerafa ( mt, Franġisk Zerafa, 1679 – 21 April 1758) was a Maltese people, Maltese architect and donor, donato to the Order of St. John, Religion. In 1714, he succeeded Giovanni Barbara as ''Capomastro delle Opere della Religion ...
was responsible for major decorative designs added at the palace of the Grand Master during the reign of
Zondadari () They were sculpted by Gianni Pulisi (Attard, Christian (2013). "The sad end of Maestro Gianni". Treasures of Malta. Valletta: Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. 19 (2): 47–51. ISSN 1028-3013. OCLC 499647242).
*Balcony
Mysteries Of the Maltese ‘gallarija’ (2)Protestant chapel, signal tower, arch link to library, etc pp. 50–51.
Signal Tower, built by Grandmaster de Rohan and the English Chapel p. 40.
Ancient and Modern Malta The palace had at least four different doors at one point – and now has at least five; two in front, one from the side of the national library, one on the opposite site of the palace, close to the Greeks' church and one from the back, next to the stables, now the armoury museum. This excluding other small doors around the palace and a number of former shops, at the back, all of which are now walled up.
External links
*
{{authority control
Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth
Palaces in Valletta
Government buildings in Malta
Buildings and structures completed in 1574
1574 establishments in Malta
Limestone buildings in Malta
Knights Hospitaller
Mannerist architecture in Malta
Baroque palaces in Malta
Former seats of national legislatures
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Reportedly haunted locations in Malta
Sites managed by Heritage Malta