President’s
Palace When
in 1571 Grand Master Pietro del Monte ordered the transfer of the Order’s
headquarters from Birgu to the newly built Valletta, his own palace had not
been built yet. He went to live in a house which belonged to his nephew, and
eventually it was decided that the Grand Master’s Palace would be built in that
area of Valletta. The palace was designed by Gerolamo Cassar. Throughout the years
it was enlarged more than once, and its present façade dates to the time of
Grand Master Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca. Eventually the Palace was used by the
British Governor, and since 1974 it has been used as the office of the
President of Malta. Along the façade there are a number of marble tablets
commemorating recent events in the history of Malta.
The President's Palace
When in 1571 Grand Master Pietro del Monte ordered the
transfer of the headquarters of the Order of St. John from Vittoriosa to the
new city, Valletta, his residence was not yet built. He moved into a grandson's
house, and it was immediately decided that the Grand Master's palace should be
built there. The palace was built on the design of the Maltese architect Glormu
Cassar. Over the years the building has continued to be enlarged more than
once, and the façade as we see it today was made in the time of Grand Master
Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca. Over time, the palace was used by the British
Governor, and since 1974 has become the Office of the President of Malta. Along
the façade we see a number of marble plaques commemorating various important
events that have taken place in recent years.
Bishop’s
Palace
Soon
after the arrival of the Order of St John in Malta in 1530, and their setting
up their headquarters in Birgu, the Bishop of Malta saw it fit to build his own
palace there as well. The Palace, on the
instructions of Bishop Domenico Cubelles, included also a number of prison
cells, as the then Bishop was also the Pro-Inquisitor for Malta. It continued
to be used as such until in the beginning of the 17th century, when another
Bishop’s Palace was built in Valletta. This building continued to be used by
the Bishops, whenever they visited the area during their pastoral visits. For a
number of years, this building was used as an infants’ school.
The Bishop's Palace
Shortly after
the arrival in Malta of the order of St. John in 1530, and after setting up
their headquarters in Vittoriosa, the Bishop of Malta also thought of having a
palace in Vittoriosa as well. . The Palace, on instructions from Bishop
Domenico Cubelles, was to house a number of cells. This is due to the fact that
the same Bishop at that time had the responsibility of Pro-Inquisitor of Malta.
The palace continued to be used until the beginning of the 17th century, when
another bishop's palace was built in Valletta. This palace continued to be used
by the same bishops whenever they went to Cottonera and made their pastoral visit,
so that they would have a place to stay. The same building, was also used for
many years as a kindergarten.
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