Casa Leoni : a short history

Abstract

Casa Leoni in Santa Venera and its adjoining gardens were built by the Portugese Grand Master Fra Antonio Manoel de Vilhena (1722- 1736) on the designs of the French architect Frarnçois de Mondion. Quentin Hughes describes this building as a country villa spaciously laid out on the Palladin pattern, consisting of a central block, with wings projecting forward. The main block is typically Maltese with three rooms across the front and narrower ones behind, one of which contains the staircase. Sir Harry Luke who as Lieutenant Governor was one of the incumbents of this palace describes the building as a "genuine villa on the Southern European sense". The building is simple in style, almost its only embellishment being four square rumped stone lions from Vilhena's coat of arms to whom it owes its popular name of Casa Leoni or Dar l-Iljuni. [excerpt]