Auberges in Valletta

The Auberges were buildings which were used as hostels by knights of the same langue or language. In some cases, there were more than one auberge for knights from the same country especially in cases where there were many knights coming from disparate parts of the country such as in the case of France and Spain. The surviving buildings in Valletta are all used for some form of public office as explained further below.

Auberge de Castile y Leon

Auberge de Castille as it is 

The building was originally constructed in the late 16th century by Girolamo Cassar originally for the langues of Castile and Leon. It was extensively remodelled by Grand Master Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca between 1741 and 1744. The auberge is built on the highest point of Valletta and is one of the most recognisable buildings locally. The site was originally planned to host the Magisterial Palace, but it was deemed to be too exposed and thus the palace was shifted closer to the centre of the city. The building is highly ornate with extensive masonry decorations and a bronze bust of Grand Master Pinto above the main entrance surrounded by a trophy of arms. The building is currently used as the office of the Prime Minister and its façades were recently restored, with the works completed in 2014.

The building had many different uses in its lifetime; the French used it to house the Commission for National Property; the British armed forces established their headquarters there in 1805 and it was also used as lodgings for the British officers; in 1814 it was used to accommodate a disabled contingent from the army of Egypt; one of the rooms of the first floor was converted into the first Protestant chapel in in 1840. In 1889 a time ball was installed which set the time of the warships berthed in the harbour, the remains of which are held by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. Since 4 March 1972, the building has been used as the office of the Prime Minister.

Auberge d'Italie

This impressive building is located on one of the main streets of the capital city and was constructed in 1574 by Girolamo Cassar. The building was substantially remodelled by Grand Master Caraffa in the late 17th century, who added the top floor. A bust of Caraffa and a marble trophy of arms are located above the main entrance. The courtyard contains an ornate triumphal arch which has the dates 1756 and 1862 carved above each other. The auberge has a number of commercial outlets on the three elevations which are at a lower level then the level of the main entrance. The building had many different uses serving as an administrative building, National Archives, Valletta Museum, Law Courts, Post Office and offices of the Post and Communications Department, Ministry of Tourism, Malta Tourism Authority and currently Muża, the national Museum of Art.  The rusticated quoins of the building are amongst the most detailed in Valletta, with the diamond shape inspired by contemporary Italian architecture. The facade appears to have been facing South street for a time, probably facing what is now called De Valette square. It was originally constructed on one floor only, but the space was too small for the Italian knights, who started construction on the first floor in 1582. Attached to the Auberge is the chapel dedicated to St. Catherine of Italy. Apart from the one in Birgu, there was another Auberge d’Italie, the one which was converted into part of the Grandmaster’s palace soon after its construction. Although the Italian knights moved to Valletta in 1571, they moved into the current auberge around 1579. The bronze bust and marble Trophy of Arms and Coat of Arms of Grand Master Fra Gregorio Carafa designed by La Fe’ were commissioned when Gregorio Carafa became Grandmaster. The main facade was redesigned by Medercio Blondel in 1680.

Auberge de Provence

This auberge is one of a very

few buildings in Malta that has a surviving double pitched roof which is still largely original, albeit not forming part of the Cassar structure. It was also designed and constructed by Girolamo Cassar in the late 16th century although it was substantially remodelled and the façade was shifted to its current one at around 1638 when the auberge was enlarged. The front rooms which are now shops on the Republic Street façade do not conform to Cassar’s typical plans. Furthermore, there is evidence on Triq il-Karrijiet and Triq Melita that the building was extended. Similar evidence was also found internally during the last remodelling of the building.
Apart from the ornate baroque façade in the constructed in the fashion of the time, the building also boasts the large top floor salon, the Grand Salon, with its highly decorated walls, wooden floor and coffered decorated ceiling. It was used by the Knights as a place where business was negotiated, and as a dining and banqueting hall. Nowadays this space is used for temporary exhibitions and rented out for conferences and other activities.

During the French occupation, the building served for a myriad of purposes including a military barrack and a hotel. In 1826 it was leased by the Malta Union Club, however the lease was stopped when the Auberge was allocated to house Malta’s National Museum. In 1974, the fine arts section of the museum was moved to admiralty house and the auberge became the National Museum of Archaeology as it remains to date. Temporary exhibitions are displayed, with the current exhibitions titled Meet the Phoenicians of Malta running until the end of October.

Auberge d'Aragon

This auberge, which appears to be a rather plain building set in front of a square, has been the least modified since its construction in 1571. It was built to house the knights coming from the provinces of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre. The rather austere façade reflects the Mannerist style adopted by Cassar, although internally it is one of the most ornate with a large fountain and other decorations. 
The auberge survives almost intact and in fact traces of red ochre are still visible on its rear façade. The reason for this may be related to the fact that it was meant to be temporary, with a larger accommodation planned closer to the centre of the city. The Doric portico on the main elevation is the only addition to the building since its construction, while the only decorations to the building consist of the corner rustication and roof cornice. 

The auberge served as a barracks during the French occupation, let to various tenants when it was requisitioned by the quartermaster and later served as the Government printing Press. For a while it was also used as a school, however in 1924 it became the official seat of the Prime Minister. The historic table at which the talks for independence were held survives in the refectory of the auberge. In 1972, the office of the Prime Minster was moved to Auberge de Castille, at which point this building was relegated to the role if ministerial buildings, as it remains to date.

Auberge de Baviere et Angleterre

The auberge has been through a chequered history as it had various uses during its existence. It was originally constructed by the Bali of Acre as a private residence and it was called Palazzo Carniero. It was subsequently bought by the German knights when Grandmaster De Rohan and served as an auberge for 15 years. It was later used as a school and officer's mess prior to its current use. It is the least architecturally significant from all the auberges, possibly owing to the fact that it was not originally constructed as an auberge, although probably the one having the largest amount of varied past uses. The auberge is currently used as the Lands Authority.

Auberge d'Allemagne (Demolished - replaced by St Paul's Anglican Cathedral)

The only known representation of the auberge.

The Auberge d’Allemagne was built between 1571 and 1575 in Strada Ponente (Triq il-Punent). The Architect was Gerolamo Cassar and it served as the home of the German Knights. The building soon developed structural faults and was abandoned. The site was later chosen as the place for an Anglican cathedral after Queen Adelaide, who was dismayed that no proper Anglican church was present in Malta, provided £20,000 for the construction of a church. The original building developed faults, and the works started again under the direction of architect William Scamp in 1841. Even though the auberge is no more, St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral is a Valletta landmark in its own right, with its spire being one of the most recognisable features of Valletta across Marsamxett Harbour.

St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral facade.

Auberge d'Auvergne (destroyed - replaced by law courts)

The exact construction date of the Auberge d’Auvergne is unclear, however it was finished around 1583. As per the other auberges of Cassar, it consisted of a square plan with a central courtyard surrounded by rooms and arcades. It also had an open space in front of it, which still exists today. 

In 1825 the building was used as the seat of the Piracy court (Tribunale di Pirateria) and of the Bankruptcy court (Corte di Fallimento). In 1840 the Civil Courts moved into the building, until it was completely destroyed in World War II by a German parachute mine on Tuesday 29 May 1941. It was rebuilt in the late sixties to the Neo-classical design we see today by the late Jo Tonna, which he lamented, was so modified that it was barely recognisable from his original design. During the rest of the war, the court was housed in the Auberge d’Italie.

The Law Courts

Auberge de France

This auberge was also designed by Gerolamo Cassar. Similar to Auberge d’Italie, this auberge was also located elsewhere. The original auberge building was located an insula (block) away, on a corner of the same street.

In view that Cassar had to integrate part of an extant building, the plan of the Auberge de France varied from Cassar’s typical square plan. The main entrance was off centre and on the right of the façade while the courtyard was located at the back of the building. The facade was asymmetrical, with the windows being different in size and design, probably owing to the aforementioned integration of a previous building. This auberge was totally destroyed during the bombardment of 8 April 1942.

In 1955 the Workers’ Memorial Building was constructed on the site of the former auberge constructed in memory of the workers who died during World War II. It is now used as the offices of the General Workers’ Union.

The Workers' Memorial Building instead of Auberge de France.

If you wish to see the auberges or their replacement buildings in person, their location can be seen in the map below: