Auberge d'Aragon

Auberge d'Aragon
Berġa ta' Aragona
Façade of Auberge d'Aragon
Former names	Gibraltar House
General information
Status	Intact
Type	Auberge
Architectural style	Mannerist (with neoclassical portico)
Location	Valletta, Malta
Coordinates	35°54′3.7″N 14°30′45.1″E / 35.901028°N 14.512528°E
Current tenants	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds
Construction started	1571
Renovated	c. 1840s (portico added)
Owner	Government of Malta
Technical details
Material	Limestone
Floor count	1
Design and construction
Architect	Girolamo Cassar

The Auberge d'Aragon (Maltese: Berġa ta' Aragona) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1571 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Aragon, Navarre and Catalonia. It is the only surviving auberge in Valletta which retains its original Mannerist design by the architect Girolamo Cassar.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

In the early 19th century, the building was requisitioned by the British military, and in 1842 it was leased to Bishop George Tomlinson, being renamed Gibraltar House. At this point, a neoclassical portico was added to the façade, the only alteration to the building since the 16th century. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the auberge was also used as a printing press and a school.

It housed the Office of the Prime Minister in 1921–33 and 1947–72. Since then, various government ministries have used the building. As of 2016, it houses the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds.

History

Hospitaller rule

Auberge d'Aragon was designed by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar in 1566, making it the oldest auberge in the city of Valletta. The plot of land on which it was built was purchased on 20 September 1569 for the sum of 80 scudi and 8 tari.^[1] Construction began in 1571.^[2]

In 1674, the Langue of Aragon built the Church of Our Lady of Pilar adjacent to the auberge. The 1693 Sicily earthquake caused serious damage to the façade and the southeast face of the auberge, but the damage was later repaired.^[1] The church was also damaged, and it was rebuilt in a new design, being completed in 1718.^[3]

French occupation and British rule

Plaque on the auberge

The Order of St. John was expelled from Malta with the French invasion and occupation in 1798. Two years later, the Maltese Islands became a British protectorate, and the auberge was requisitioned by the Quartermaster.^[1] From 1822 to 1824, the building housed the government printing press.^[4] In the late 1830s, the building was the residence of the Chief Secretary to Government.^[5]

In 1842, the auberge was leased to George Tomlinson, the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar, and the building was known as Gibraltar House. The only alteration to the auberge, a Doric portico leading to the main doorway, was probably built at this point.^[6]

After Malta was granted self-government in 1921, the auberge was converted into a school. In 1924, upon Ugo Pasquale Mifsud's election as Prime Minister of Malta, the building became the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). In 1931, there were plans to move the parliament from the Grandmaster's Palace into the auberge, but nothing materialized. The building continued to house the OPM until the office was abolished upon the suspension of the constitution in 1933. In 1939, the auberge was given to the British Institute.^[1]

A new constitution was granted in 1947, restoring self-government and reestablishing the position of Prime Minister. The auberge was once again used as the OPM, with Paul Boffa being the first Prime Minister to use it as his office. The islands became independent as the State of Malta in 1964, and the independence was drafted on a table which still remains in the auberge today.^[1]

Independent Malta

Auberge d'Aragon continued to house the OPM until 1972, when Dom Mintoff moved the Office to Auberge de Castille, where it remains to this day.^[1] The building subsequently housed the Ministry of Education and Culture, which was then led by Minister Agatha Barbara, who later became President of Malta. After the 1987 elections, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry John Dalli took up his offices in the auberge, and he also used it later as the Ministry for Economic Affairs. This was later renamed the Ministry of Economic Services, and after 2003 the Ministry of Finance and Economic Services.^[4]

In March 2004, the auberge became the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs. From 2012, it was used by the Ministry for Home and Parliamentary Affairs,^[4] and it later became the Ministry for Home Affairs and the Ministry for EU Affairs. As of 2016, the building houses the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister^[7] as well as the Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds.^[8]

The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925 together with the other auberges in Valletta.^[9] It is now scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.^[6]

Architecture

View of the auberge

Auberge d'Aragon is built in the Mannerist style typical of its architect Girolamo Cassar, and it is the only auberge in Valletta which still retains its original design. It is a single-story building with a rectangular plan and a central arcaded courtyard.^[2]

The building has a symmetrical façade containing the main doorway flanked by three moulded windows on either side. It is rather plain, with its decorative emphasis being the continuous cornice along roof level and the rusticated corners.^[6] A Doric portico leads to the doorway, and it is the only major alteration to the auberge.^[2]

The building was originally painted in red ochre, a colour used by the Order to mark public buildings. Some traces of the paint can still be seen at the rear part of the auberge.^[6] The interior of the building contains some Renaissance-era rooms.^[10]

Notes

1. Of the seven original auberges in Valletta, Auberge d'Allemagne was demolished and Auberge d'Auvergne and Auberge de France were destroyed in World War II. Auberge d'Italie and Auberge de Provence were extensively remodeled in the 17th century, and Auberge de Castille was completely rebuilt in the 18th century, leaving Auberge d'Aragon as the only surviving auberge which never saw a major renovation.

References

1. "The Auberge d'Aragon" (PDF). Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2016.
2. "The Auberge d'Aragon". angelfire.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
3. "Church of the Madonna of Pilar" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016.
4. "About Us". Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016.
5. MacGill, Thomas (1839). A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta. Malta: Luigi Tonna. p. 63.
6. "Auberge D'Aragon" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016.
7. "Office of the Deputy Prime Minister" (PDF). Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2016.
8. "Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds". Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016.
9. "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939.". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016.
10. "Auberge d'Aragon". City of Valletta. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.