Palazzo Parisio, sometimes known as Casa Parisio, 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 ...

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 in the 1740s by Domenico Sceberras, and eventually passed into the hands of the Muscati and Parisio Muscati families. It was

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 for six days in June 1798, during the early days of 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 M ...

. The palace was eventually acquired by the de Piro family, and was later purchased by the

Government of Malta A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

. It was used as the General Post Office from 1886 to 1973, then the Ministry for Agriculture, and it now houses the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateralism, bilateral, and multilateralism, multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citi ...

Location

Palazzo Parisio is on Merchants Street, originally called ''Strada San Giacomo'', one of the main streets in Valletta. The palace is adjacent 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 ...

, which is now the office of the Prime Minister. It faces

Auberge d'Italie The Auberge d'Italie ( mt, Berġa tal-Italja, it, Albergo d'Italia) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built at various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy, and it ori ...

, which houses Muza, the National museum of art.

History

Construction and early history

The site of Palazzo Parisio originally contained two town houses, which belonged to Fra Michel Fonterme dit la Chiesa and Francesco This. The houses were purchased by Fra Giovanni di Ventimiglia, the Balì of Manosca, in 1608. His descendants exchanged the houses with Maria Sceberras in 1717. In about 1740, Domenico Sceberras demolished the town houses and began to build the palace. It was completed in 1744 by Margherita Muscati, his sister, and remained in the hands of the Muscati family. Eventually, it was inherited by Anna Muscati, who married Domenico Parisio. By the late 18th century, the palace belonged to Paolo Parisio Muscati, who named the building ''Palazzo Parisio''.

French occupation

After the

French invasion of Malta The French invasion of Malta ( mt, Invażjoni Franċiża ta' Malta) was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part o ...

stayed at Palazzo Parisio for six days from 12 to 18 June 1798, before embarking on the

Egyptian campaign The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

. Following the Maltese uprising against French rule, Parisio Muscati left Valletta to join the Maltese insurgents, where he commanded the

Naxxar Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxx ...

battalion.

Nineteenth century

Facade of Auberge d'Auvergne in Valletta

After Malta became a British protectorate in 1800, Pario family returned to the palace. On 26 November of that year, Ralph Abercrombie arrived in Malta on board HMS ''Diadem'', and stayed at the palace until he left for Egypt on 20 December. From 25 January to 14 May 1841,

Lord Lynedoch Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch (19 October 174818 December 1843) was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and British Army officer. After his education at Oxford, he inherited a substantial estate in Scotland, married and settled down to a qui ...

, a personal friend of Parisio Muscati, also took up temporary residence at the palace during his stay in Malta. Following Parisio Muscati's death in December 1841, the palace was passed to his wife Antonia Muscati Xara. She married Joseph de Piro and the palace passed into the hands of the de Piro family after she died in 1856. The de Piro family had eventually came to an agreement with the British government to exchange the palace with Casa Caccia.

General Post Office

By the 1880s, Palazzo Parisio was co-owned by around 100 people, and was in poor condition. In 1886 the postmaster-general, Ferdinand Inglott, persuaded the owners to lease, and eventually to sell, the palace to the government. It was renovated, and opened as the General Post Office (GPO) in May 1886. The ground floor was used as a

livery yard A livery yard, livery stable or boarding stable, is a stable where horse owners pay a weekly or monthly fee to keep their horses. A livery or boarding yard is not usually a riding school and the horses are not normally for hire (unless on work ...

for horses to be used by postmen. A third floor which housed the Audit Office was added after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. On 24 April 1942, 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 ...

, the palace was partially destroyed by aerial bombardment. The GPO moved to the primary school of

Ħamrun Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who c ...

until it returned to the ruined palace on 16 January 1943. The palace was rebuilt after the war, but some of the frescoes were lost. On 4 July 1973, the GPO moved from Palazzo Parisio to

, just across the street. The central mail room, registered letter branch and ''poste restante'' were moved to the former Garrison Chapel, which is now occupied by the

Malta Stock Exchange The Malta Stock Exchange ( mt, Borża ta' Malta), originally known as the Casino della Borsa, is the stock exchange of the island nation of Malta. Since being set up in 1992, the Exchange has been key to the raising of capital for the private sec ...

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

The first ministry that the building served was the ''Ministry for Posts and Agriculture''. The

moved to the palace in October 1973. The exterior and interior of the building were subsequently restored. Approximately one hundred workers, including diplomats, work in the building. Since 2014 the building has been considered unsafe, according to appointed architects, and is in process of refurbishment. 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 is also 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 ...

Architecture

Palazzo Parisio was designed by the architect Peruzzi, and it contains elements from both neoclassical and

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 ...

. The palace consists of three blocks, which surround a central courtyard. The façade contains an elaborate columned doorway, supporting a timber balcony. There are three windows on either side of the doorway. Palazzo Parisio - Street.jpg, Palazzo Parisio from Merchants Street Side facade palazzo parisio.jpg, Side façade along Melita Street Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malta.jpg, Doorway and balcony Plaque Napoléon à La Valette.JPG, Plaque commemorating Napoleon's stay Internal yard palazzo valletta.jpg, Courtyard Palazzo parisio architecture.jpg, Rustic interior Palazzo parisio hall.jpg, Hallway Palazzoparisiopardoonenhall.jpg,

Pardo ''Pardos'' (feminine ''pardas'') is a term used in the former Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas to refer to the triracial descendants of Southern Europeans, Amerindians and West Africans. In some places they were defined as ne ...

Hall Pardo Hall 1 Palazzo Parisio.jpg, Pardo Hall Palazzo Parisio - Pardo Hall - Art.jpg, Pardo Hall Entry to Giorgio_Borg Olivier Hall.jpeg, Entry to Sala

Giorgio Borg Olivier Giorgio Borg Olivier, ( mt, Ġorġ Borg Olivier) (5 July 1911 – 29 October 1980) was a Maltese statesman and leading politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Malta (1950–55 and 1962–71) as the Leader of the Nationalist Party. H ...

Palazzo Parisio George Hall.jpg,

George Borg Olivier Giorgio Borg Olivier, ( mt, Ġorġ Borg Olivier) (5 July 1911 – 29 October 1980) was a Maltese statesman and leading politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Malta (1950–55 and 1962–71) as the Leader of the Nationalist Party. H ...

Hall Palazzo Parisio upper floor.jpg, First floor Palazzo Parisio Third floor.jpg, Second floor Napoleon bedroom palazzo parisio.jpg, Napoleon's bedroom Palazzo Parisio visitors sign cabinet.jpg, Cabinet where visiting dignitaries sign Cippus Palazzo Parisio Ministry_for_Foreign_Affairs.jpeg,

Cippi of Melqart The Cippi of Melqart are a pair of Phoenician marble cippi that were unearthed in Malta under undocumented circumstances and dated to the 2nd century BC. These are votive offerings to the god Melqart, and are inscribed in two languages, Ancien ...

Stairs palazzo parisio.jpg, Stairs Palazzo Parisio wooden beams ceiling.jpg, Decorated wooden ceiling beams Palazzo Parisio frescoes lost during WWII.jpg, Frescoes lost in World War II Underground stairs palazzo,parisio.jpg, Underground stairs Chapel at Palazzo Parisio.jpg, Chapel

Art

The ceilings and walls of the palace have a number of frescoes painted by the Maltese artist Antonaci Grech. Some were destroyed when the palace was bombed in

, but others remain in good condition. A number of paintings are found in the palace; those by the Italian artist

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 Cava ...

are older than the palace itself. Palazzo Parisio Mattia Preti Painting - minister's office.jpg, ''Supper at Emmaus'', a 1680 painting by

Palazzo Parisio fresco antique.jpg, Ceiling fresco Palazzo Parisio ceiling frescoe.jpg, Ceiling fresco Palazzo Parisio - Wall and ceiling frescoes - Upstairs.jpg, Wall and ceiling frescoes Palazzo Parisio Maltese traditional clock.jpg, Traditional Maltese clock and cabinet Palazzo Pariso restored statue.jpg, Restored 18th century statue Palazzo Parisio - art - Sala Olivier.jpg, Artworks and furniture at Giorgio Borg Olivier Hall Palazzo Parisio antique Chinese cabinet.jpg, Painting and antique Chinese cabinet Palazzo Parisio - Napolitan cribe.jpg, Neapolitan handmade crib Palazzo Parisio bust of La Vallette.jpg, Bust of

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 ...

Notes

References

External links

{{Valletta Parisio Buildings and structures in Valletta Residential buildings completed in 1744 Neoclassical architecture in Malta Post office buildings in Malta Former post office buildings Government buildings in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Baroque palaces in Malta Palaces and residences of Napoleon 1744 establishments in Malta Office buildings in Malta