The gallarija in the Maltese built heritage: a typological study

Abstract

The Maltese Balcony is one of the main legacies of the period of the Order of St John and is still valued today as a characteristic of the Maltese Islands. It is a successful example of the diffusion of knowledge and transfer of ideas from another culture. The first known built sightings of the Maltese Balcony first appeared in the mid-eighteenth century, becoming the ‘architectural fashion’ of the time which has stood the test of time in relation to all the change in architectural styles that have occurred over the centuries. This was the period when the Knights of the Order of St John ruled over Malta. They were highly successful in adopting such a design from another culture to a somewhat different context. In time it became part of the Maltese culture becoming an architectural necessity for the noble households as well as for households with modest means, as visible in small houses. Craftsmen were also successful in adapting a Muslim design architectural element as a basis for the design of the Maltese Balcony in the Maltese Islands. This study addressed the typology of the architectural element of a characteristic dominating our identity across the islands is still lacking, effectively an attempt to fill this gap on something which is so readily identified with the Maltese Islands. A sample of balconies from Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were studied to establish a typology of this element.