L’Auberge de Castille et Leon : an architectural appraisal of a palatial edifice within a fortified city

Abstract

In this B.A. dissertation the principal aim was to document and combine all research found pertaining to the Auberge de Castille, with reference to its origins, foundation, and history . To show how the building faced different realities alongside the history of Valletta and the larger context in Malta. The defining periods of the Auberge can be divided as follows. The first phase of the structure is the one projected through the plans of Laparelli and Cassar for the initial structural projects in Valletta. The second phase was ushered in during the eighteenth century through the Baroque Absolutism of Grand Master Pinto. The final phases saw the Auberge change its function through the French invasion, British colonial times and Maltese independence. This thesis collects various primary and secondary sources, some previously unpublished, for a thorough architectural, artistic and historical appraisal of Castille. The architecture of the Auberge can be compared to other examples in Valletta, yet it developed in a unique style through Grand Master Pinto’s patronage.

This dissertation draws from various primary and secondary sources. The primary sources include the Maltese National Archives where various documents were consulted and checked. The secondary sources are from a wide range of literature that deals with the Order of the Knights of St John in Malta and their rule on the island throughout the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the French period on the island and in Europe, British Colonialism, and changes through independence. This thesis also draws on unpublished material. Primary and secondary sources are brought together to create a holistic study on the Auberge de Castille, which has always stood as an iconic building and a statement of power in a location of importance within Valletta. I had the opportunity to visit the building and take photos twice, which further grounded my understanding of Baroque Absolutism and the ritualistic aspect associated with grand staircases. The design of the staircase at Castille lends itself to greetings and entrances that were so important during Baroque times. This ritual would have probably also been utilised throughout the French, Colonial and Maltese period. This research places the edifice of Castille within the context of the early buildings in Valletta, and as part of the oeuvre of Girolamo Cassar. In many ways, the concept of the Auberge was influenced from the Knights’ roots in the Holy Land and Rhodes. By the time of Pinto’s reign during the eighteenth century, the Order faced a different social and political context than that of the late sixteenth century. This was one of pomp and grand statements with lavish decoration, and this philosophy, comparable with that on the continent, influenced the second Auberge, which was largely funded by Pinto himself.