Die Bauten des malteser Architekten Gerolamo Cassar und deren architekturgeschichtliche Voraussetzungen : the buildings of the Maltese Architect Gerolamo Cassar and their prerequisites in the history of architecture

Abstract

It is the task of my thesis to find out how Cassar' s buildings originally looked like and which influences affected his work. When dealing with this subject, one has to face several obstacles. The reconstruction of Cassar's buildings proves to be very difficult, because there are no original plans or drawings and because most of his buildings were altered in the following centuries, especially in the baroque. The modifications, which were done on the buildings throughout the centuries, are rarely documented, and there are almost no reliable sources that are helpful for a reconstruction of the buildings. Only the foundation of Valletta is fully documented in the Codex that Francesco Laparelli, the architect of the new city, wrote in 1566 and 1567, but he does not consider Cassar's buildings, which were erected four years later. The sources in the archive of the Order only verify bigger structural alterations, like later added storeys or extensions. Therefore, it is often very hard to judge which parts of the buildings belong to the original structure and which ones were added or altered later. Another problem arises from the destruction of the buildings in the Second World War. Thus, important bases for an analysis of the buildings are sources like old photos and paintings. The thesis begins with a short history of Valletta's foundation and a biography of Gerolamo Cassar. The following chapter deals with an examination of Cassar' s buildings. His ecclesiastical and secular buildings are explained separately, and his palaces are differentiated from his auberges. After this, I will try to point out the stylistic characteristics of his buildings to find out more about their original design. The second part analyses the prerequisites of Cassar' s buildings in the history of architecture. First, Malta's own architectural prerequisites are examined. In this context, I will also search for possible influences from the existing architecture of the country. After that, the knowledge and the instructions of the Order of St. John, Cassar' s client, are dealt with. In addition to this, the questions about the Order's knowledge from their former headquarter in Rhodes and about the conditions and instructions that restricted Cassar in his designs are examined. Then the influences of the Italian architecture are analysed. This chapter starts with the influences of the military architecture of the Italian Renaissance and Malta's architectural relation to Sicily. The following chapter deals with the relation of Cassar's buildings to the architecture of the Italian Renaissance and Mannerism. Here, the contemporary and modem architecture of the Italian mainland is explained. Finally, it is discussed whether the various langues of the Order had certain influences on Cassar.