Hostel de Verdelin on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Hostel de Verdelin, also known as Palazzo Verdelin or the Casa delle Colombe, is a
The prominent part of the building seen from St George Square housed the Vicary's Hotel during the British period, which was one of the first hotels in Malta. The building subsequently housed the Civil Service Sports Club. For some years it hosted the Circle known as La Giovane Malta.
The other part of the building was leased to the government in 1962. It has since housed the Malta Government Savings Bank and later the Banco di Roma, after which was converted into a police station.
The building's façade was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.
The palace currently belongs to 12 private owners, including Marco Gaffarena, the heirs of Antonio Zammit and the firm B. Tagliaferro and Sons Ltd. The owners have been demanding that the property be vacated since October 2014. Part of the building housed a restaurant called Michael's for a period of about two years around 2014. It now houses a restaurant named Gracy's.
During the Gaffarena scandal in 2015, journalist Caroline Muscat revealed that the government gave Gaffarena €1.65 million in land and cash for his part ownership of another palace in Valletta, the opposition accused the government that it also intended to expropriate the Hotel de Verdelin. These claims were denied by home affairs minister Carmelo Abela, although it was later revealed that the Land Department had sent architects to draw up a valuation report of the palace between February and April 2015.
The palace is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the
The Hostel de Verdelin is an early example of
''A Guide to the Maltese Islands''
Digitized by Godwin, George Nelson (2007). p. 102. The palace is the largest of three adjacent buildings which belonged to Verdelin.
''Dictionnaire de la noblesse, contenant les généalogies, l'histoire & la chronologie des familles nobles de France, l'explication de leur armes, & l'état des grandes terres du royaume ...: On a joint à ce dictionnaire le tableau généalogique, historique, des maisons souveraines de l'Europe, & une notice des familles étrangères, les plus anciennes, les plus nobles & les plus illustres ...''
Le veuvne Duchesne. p. 751-754.
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 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 ...
, 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 mid-17th century for the knight Jean-Jacques de Verdelin, and it is an early 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 ...
in Malta. The palace currently houses a police station
A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, a ...
and a restaurant.
History
The Hostel de Verdelin was built in around the 1650s (some sources claim it was built in the 1660s, such as 1662 or 1666, but in 1662 the premises were already handed over to Paul de Verdelin from the original owner) for Jean-Jacques de Verdelin, a French knight of theOrder of St. 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 headqu ...
who was the nephew of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle
Fra' Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle (13 April 1531 – 4 May 1595) was the 51st Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1582 and 1595.
History
He is mainly remembered for the reconstruction of the hunting lodge at Boschetto which was rename ...
and who held a number of important positions, including Commander of the Artillery, Auditor of Accounts and Grand Commander. The palace is attributed to the Italian architect Francesco Buonamici, who is sometimes credited for introducing 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 ...
in Malta.
Following Verdelin's death in 1678, the palace was inherited by his brother Jean-François de Verdelin, who was also a knight. It subsequently became property of the Order, and it was used as a hostel. It was transferred to the government during the French occupation of Malta
The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. It was established when the Order of Saint John surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in ...
in 1798, and at this point, two coats of arms on the façade were defaced.
The prominent part of the building seen from St George Square housed the Vicary's Hotel during the British period, which was one of the first hotels in Malta. The building subsequently housed the Civil Service Sports Club. For some years it hosted the Circle known as La Giovane Malta.
The other part of the building was leased to the government in 1962. It has since housed the Malta Government Savings Bank and later the Banco di Roma, after which was converted into a police station.
The building's façade was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.
The palace currently belongs to 12 private owners, including Marco Gaffarena, the heirs of Antonio Zammit and the firm B. Tagliaferro and Sons Ltd. The owners have been demanding that the property be vacated since October 2014. Part of the building housed a restaurant called Michael's for a period of about two years around 2014. It now houses a restaurant named Gracy's.
During the Gaffarena scandal in 2015, journalist Caroline Muscat revealed that the government gave Gaffarena €1.65 million in land and cash for his part ownership of another palace in Valletta, the opposition accused the government that it also intended to expropriate the Hotel de Verdelin. These claims were denied by home affairs minister Carmelo Abela, although it was later revealed that the Land Department had sent architects to draw up a valuation report of the palace between February and April 2015.
The palace is 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 ...
. It was restored between September and December 2017.
Architecture
The Hostel de Verdelin is an early 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 ...
in Malta. Its ornate façade has significant influences from the Spanish Baroque style, which is unusual in Malta, where Italian and French Baroque are more common. Its façade is said to be one of the finest in Valletta and described as being an impressive example of artistic fabric in urban Malta. The ornate windows are the centerpiece of the façade. In the 19th century, during the British period, closed timber balconies replaced earlier structure that originally consisted of stone balconies. An artistic interpretation of de Verdelin in form of a painting is found within the building.Paolo Bonavia (1880''A Guide to the Maltese Islands''
Digitized by Godwin, George Nelson (2007). p. 102. The palace is the largest of three adjacent buildings which belonged to Verdelin.
See also
*List of Baroque residences
This is a list of Baroque palaces and residences built in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Baroque architecture is a building style of the Baroque era, begun in late 16th-century Italy and spread in Europe. The style took the Roman vocabulary of ...
Further reading
* Family tree of de Verdelin, in Franc̜ois Alexandre Aubert de La Chesnaye-Desbois, Badier (1774)''Dictionnaire de la noblesse, contenant les généalogies, l'histoire & la chronologie des familles nobles de France, l'explication de leur armes, & l'état des grandes terres du royaume ...: On a joint à ce dictionnaire le tableau généalogique, historique, des maisons souveraines de l'Europe, & une notice des familles étrangères, les plus anciennes, les plus nobles & les plus illustres ...''
Le veuvne Duchesne. p. 751-754.
References
External links
{{Valletta Palaces in Malta Buildings and structures in Valletta Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century Baroque palaces in Malta Spanish Baroque architecture Limestone buildings in Malta Hostels Defunct hotels in Malta Police stations in Malta Restaurants in Malta