Villa Francia, initially named as Palazzo Francia, then named as Villa Preziosi, and officially known as Palazzo Francia and Francia Estate, is an 18th-century palace in

Lija Lija ( mt, Ħal Lija) is a small village in the Central Region of Malta. It forms part of the Three villages of Malta, along with Attard and Balzan. Lija has a baroque parish church and seven other small chapels. The parish church is dedicat ...

, Malta. The palace was built circa 1757, by Francesco Preziosi, with baroque architecture that gave a sense of pride and power to noble people at the time. The first ambitious owner became bankrupt with the expenses of the palace, to make it an outstanding building and incomparable with others, and because of this he was pressured to sell his possession by the Order of St. John to pay his accumulated debts. The street where the palace is found is named after the initial name of the palace, as Preziosi Street. The palace was bought by the Francia family and later passed to 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 is currently the official residence of the

Prime Minister of Malta The prime minister of Malta ( mt, Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The P ...

. The building should not be confused with formerly named Palazzo Francia, today Palazzo Ferreria.

Description

The palace has two floors with a one front garden and other back gardens. The villa is situated in the northern part of

. The palace was inspired by

Villa Palagonia The Villa Palagonia is a patrician villa in Bagheria, 15 km from Palermo, in Sicily, southern Italy. The villa itself, built from 1715 by the architect Tommaso Napoli with the help of Agatino Daidone, is one of the earliest examples of ...

, at Bagheria in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

History

Hunting lodge

The building of Villa Francia was initially a one-storey building used as a hunting lodge when most of Lija was undeveloped. People living in the countryside feared attacks from the Ottoman Empire. When these attacks stopped Lija became a village on the demand for noble people and later for modern buildings. The place may no longer be used as a hunting site.

Palazzo/Villa Preziosi

The palace is believed to be completed in the late eighteenth century. Additional construction such as the upper storey was added in the late 18th century. Other internal and external works took place in the mid-twentieth century to be used as a residence villa. At first it was called Villa Preziosi. At one point during the British period the building was the residence of Dr. Waugh. He was also buried within the grounds of the estate.

Palazzo/Villa Francia

The palace was named as Villa Francia by the Francia family. Former

Sir Ugo Pasquale Mifsud and his wife (ne Francia) lived at the palace between September 1924 and August 1927, and between June 1932 and November 1933. Some documents of Ugo Pasquale Mifsud are displayed at the building. William “Bill” Nathaniel Fenton was adopted by his step father John Baptist Francia (1893-1974) in 1971, soon after the adoption law passed. The now legal father stated in his will that the adopted son is to inherit all his fortune, and if he has no children the Catholic Church in Malta was to inherit everything. As per agreement between the State of Malta and the Local Church, the property passed to the government, even though the Francia kept using it. Fenton and Francia were actually in a romantic same-sex relationship. The two organised LGBT parties at the villa, in the 1960s, when homosexuality was illegal.

Gardens

The estate has always been historically known for its beautiful large gardens. The large landscape of the gardens of the palace has given it the name of Francia Estate. Maps show that approximately 90% of the property consist of the gardens. The large gardens are divided into two areas; the prominent one is located at the front of the palace and the vast larger gardens at the back. In the back garden of the palace a

nympheum A ''nymphaeum'' or ''nymphaion'' ( grc, νυμφαῖον), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habi ...

and a large reservoir could be found until day. A small set aside building was built as a headquarters for the maids and workers at the villa. The palace has some unique Maltese architectural features such as sculptures, a remissa and horse stables. In the garden, a coach room, a water mill and 10 fountains can be found. It has a magnificent belvedere surrounded by two hectares of land overlooking

Mosta Mosta ( mt, Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest ...

Modern

On 27 February 1987 Villa Francia was donated to the Maltese government by the Francia family namely by William Francia who had a same-sex relationship and had no children. A million euro have been invested for the preservation and restoration of Villa Francia by the government partially from EU funds. The palace today serves as the residence of the

where general activities take place. The palace became more notable when Monsignor

Charles Scicluna Charles Jude Scicluna (born 15 May 1959) is a Canadian-Maltese prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been the Archbishop of Malta since 2015. He held positions in the Roman Curia from 1995 to 2012, when he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop o ...

was elected as Bishop of Malta and he was welcomed to the building by Prime Minister

Joseph Muscat Joseph Muscat (born 22 January 1974) is a Maltese politician who served as the prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020, and as the leader of the Labour Party from June 2008 to January 2020. Muscat was re-elected as prime minister in the ...

. The restoration of the entire estate is aimed to bring about regional development by opening it for the public and become a tourist attraction.

Heritage

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) has scheduled Villa Francia as grade 1 national monument. 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, mo ...

References

{{coord, 35.90313, 14.44496, format=dms, type:landmark_region:MT, display=title

Francia Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

Lija Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century Baroque architecture in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Official residences in Malta Hunting lodges in Malta Government buildings in Malta Prime ministerial residences Stables Palladian architecture