Auberge d'Auvergne et Provence () is an auberge in

Birgu Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was built to house knights of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...

from the langues of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

and

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

. Auberge d'Auvergne et Provence was built in the 1530s, incorporating earlier buildings. Parts of the ground floor and basement are believed to date back to the 15th century, while older remains possibly date back to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

period. The auberge is reported to have been functional by 1531, and its existence is confirmed by the Order's records in August 1532. The auberge was originally built as two separate auberges, with Auvergne on the right and Provence on the left. At some point, these were joined and shared a single façade. The building formed a compact block with other auberges next to it, namely

Auberge d'Aragon The Auberge d'Aragon () is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1571 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Aragon, Navarre and Catalonia. It is the only surviving auberge in Valletta which retains its origi ...

and Auberge de France. The façade consists of a central doorway, with smaller doors on each side. The central doorway is embellished with a moulded cornice. The apertures have typical Melitan mouldings. The auberge continued to house the langues of Auvergne and Provence until the building of a separate

Auberge d'Auvergne The Auberge d'Auvergne () was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Auvergne. It became a courthouse in the 19th century, and it remained so until it wa ...

and Auberge de Provence in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

in the 1570s and 1580s. The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, together with the other auberges in Birgu. In the years before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the right side of the building was partially demolished to make way for a modern residence. After the war, the remaining part of the auberge was divided into separate houses and a shop, and the structure was modified by the addition of a timber balcony. Today, the section of the auberge that housed the langue of Provence remains mostly intact, despite some alterations. The other section, belonging to the langue of Auvergne, has lost part of its façade, although it retains the entrance and a small balcony. The interior of the two auberges remain mostly intact in their original state. It was listed as a Grade 1 national monument on 22 December 2009, and 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 ...

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Houses completed in 1531 Palaces in Birgu Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1531 establishments in Malta {{Malta-stub