Selmun Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz ta' Selmun), also known as Selmun Tower, is a

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

on the Selmun Peninsula in

Mellieħa Mellieħa ( mt, il-Mellieħa ) is a large village in the Northern Region of Malta. It has a population of 10,087 as of March 2014. Mellieħa is also a tourist resort, popular for its sandy beaches and natural environment. Etymology The name ''M ...

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 in the 18th century by the

Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi The Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi, often simply known as the Monte di Redenzione, was a Maltese institution set up to finance the redemption of Maltese people enslaved by Ottomans or Barbary pirates. It was founded in 1607 by Grand Maste ...

, funded by the

Monte di Pietà A mount of piety is an institutional pawnbroker run as a charity in Europe from Renaissance times until today. Similar institutions were established in the colonies of Catholic countries; the Mexican Nacional Monte de Piedad is still in operatio ...

. The palace was located on the grounds of a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

until it closed in 2011.

History

Malta - Mellieha - Triq Selmun - Selmun Palace 10 ies

Selmun Palace was built by the

, a charity that was founded during the reign of Grand Master

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 ...

in 1607 to finance the redemption of Christians enslaved by Ottomans or Barbary corsairs. The site of the villa originally contained a coastal lookout post, and it was part of a large estate which also included the Mistra Gate. The estate had been left to the ''Monte di Redenzione'' by the noblewoman Caterina Vitale upon her death in 1619. The villa used to be rented out to 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 ...

as a place to relax and hunt wild rabbits, which were commonly found in the area. The rent money contributed to the redemption fund. The villa itself was built some time in the 18th century, although the exact date of construction is not known. The earliest record of the structure is on a 1783 map, when it was referred to as ''Torre Nuova'' (new tower). The palace's architect is unknown, but it is sometimes attributed to

Domenico Cachia Domenico Cachia ( mt, Duminku Cachia, 1690–1761) was a Maltese ''capomastro'' (master builder) who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings, including Auberge de Castille in Valletta and St Helen's Basilica in Birkirkar ...

or Tumas Cachia. During the period of the Maltese rebellion against the French, the British utilised the villa as a naval hospital, the first in Malta to be used for such purpose. In the 1840s, a semaphore station was installed on the villa. The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.

Hotel

A hotel known as ''Selmun Palace Hotel'' was built close to the villa, and it was owned by Selmun Palace Hotel Company Ltd, a subsidiary of

Air Malta Air Malta plc (stylized as airmalta) is the flag carrier airline of Malta, with its headquarters in Luqa and its hub at Malta International Airport. It operates services to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. History ...

. Some suites were included in the villa itself, which was also used as a wedding venue. The hotel was closed in January 2011 as part of a restructuring strategy in which Air Malta began to focus solely on the airline industry instead of other operations. Plans are being made to sell the hotel to the government, while the construction of a new wing for the hotel has also been proposed. Selmun Palace was scheduled 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) as a Grade 1 national monument on 10 January 2012. It is in need of restoration.

Architecture

Selmun Palace is an example of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

. It has a square plan with four pseudo-bastions on each side, the design of which was inspired by the

Verdala Palace Verdala Palace is a palace in the Buskett Gardens, limits of Siġġiewi, Malta. It was built in 1586 during the reign of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle, and it now serves as the official summer residence of the President of Malta. History The site ...

and the

Wignacourt towers The Wignacourt towers ( mt, Torrijiet ta' Wignacourt) are a series of large coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1620. A total of six towers of this type were constructed, four of which survive. Backgr ...

. These bastions as well as fake embrasures were mainly built for aesthetic purposes, and the structure was never intended for military use. Despite this, it served as a deterrent for corsairs looking for a potential landing spot, since it looked like a military outpost when viewed from the sea. The main facade has three doors, with the main one being surrounded by a decorative portal. An ornate window on the upper floor and a

bell-cot A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

on the roof surmount the main door. A balcony surrounds the perimeter of the entire building. A chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Ransom was located within the villa. In the 1980s, a new chapel with the same dedication was built outside the villa.

References

{{Commons category Palaces in Malta Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century Defunct hospitals in Malta Mellieħa Limestone buildings in Malta Baroque palaces in Malta Hunting lodges in Malta

History

Hotel

Architecture

See also

Further reading

References