Palazzo Dorell ( French: Palais d'AurelZammit Tabona, Kenneth (2015)
"The Age of Elegance"
Miranda Publishers.) also known as Bettina Palace, is a 17th-century

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

palace located in

Gudja Gudja is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 3,148 as of March 2017. The village is located on high grounds, south of Valletta. It is administered by the Gudja Local Council. A number of schools, clubs, public garden ...

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 ...

History

The property was built during the Order of St. John by Count Ignatius Francesco Moscati Falsoni Navarra as a family home and country residence in 1670. The palace was bought in 1760 by Pietro Paolo Falzon d'Aurelle (English: Dorell) Falzon, and is interchangeably named for him and his daughter Marchesa Lady Elisabetta Testaferrata Dorell. The palace served as the headquarters for the British forces, under General Graham, during the

French blockade French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

(1798–1800). The interior of the building has some of the ceiling covered in frescoes which were painted by Antonio Grech (1758-1819), known as "Naici" (Antonaci). It was the last building used by the British, with the consent of the owners, before having to leave Malta in 1979 on Freedom Day. Since the 19th century the place became limitedly open to the public with special permission of the owners, starting from the Patron Lorenzo Galea.

Gardens

The

Xlejli Tower Xlejli Tower (formerly spelt Shilejli Tower, mt, Torri tax-Xlejli or ''Torri Xulliela''), also known as Bettina Tower, is a tower in Gudja, Malta. It was probably built as a watchtower since it has views over a large area of land. The age of th ...

and a chapel are located inside the walled private gardens of the property. At the garden one can still find a small cemetery where British armymen who died during the French occupation of Malta are buried. The garden is considerably very large compared to other general houses. It has a French style.

Modern

Today the palace is a private residence and is not open to the public. The palace is scheduled as a grade 1 scheduled property 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 ...

(MEPA) and listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mon ...

(NICPMI).

Other Dorell residences

The aristocratic French family d'Aurelle had other notable properties in Malta. The palace should not be confused with Palazzo Bettina 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 ...

, nor Casa Dorell 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 ...

; which both belonged to the same family once.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Gudja Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Dorell Palladian architecture