Auberge d'Italie, Birgu

The Auberge d'Italie (Maltese: Berġa tal-Italja, Italian: Albergo d'Italia) was an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built in the sixteenth century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy.

Auberge d'Italie
Berġa tal-Italja
The building in the 1900s, being used as a furniture factory
General information
StatusLargely destroyed, some remains survive
TypeAuberge
LocationBirgu, Malta
AddressNo. 1–6, St. Lawrence Street
Coordinates35°53′25.8″N 14°31′11″E
Construction started1553
Completed1554
Destroyed1940s
Technical details
MaterialLimestone
Design and construction
ArchitectNiccolò Bellavante

History

Auberge

The auberge was located in the northern part of Birgu, close to Fort St. Angelo and far from the collacchio where the other auberges were found. It was built between 1553 and 1554 to a design by Niccolò Bellavante, on the site of an earlier auberge. Part of the building was used as a naval hospital, and it also included a chapel dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Adaptive reuse
The building c. 1935

The auberge remained in use until April 1571, when the Italian knights moved to a larger Auberge d'Italie in the new capital city Valletta. This auberge was later incorporated into the Grandmaster's Palace, and a third Auberge d'Italie was built in 1579.[1] A Church of St. Catherine was also built adjacent to the third auberge.[2]

In the 1900s or before, the building was the host of the Fabbrica di Mobiglia Carmelo Seychel Carpentiere. A photo by Richard Ellis is publicly available, portraying the full facade.[3] Another photograph of the building was taken circa 1935, when part of the building was a residence.[4]

Architecture and remains
A plaque on the present building commemorates the former building, which incorporated the remains.

Auberge d'Italie was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, together with the other auberges in Birgu.[5]

The building was severely damaged by aerial bombardment during World War II. The site was rebuilt as housing units between 1961 and 1963, and some features of the auberge were incorporated into the new buildings. These houses are regarded as being of a sub-standard nature.[6]

Today, the only remains of the auberge are a quoin, a partially defaced coat of arms, the base of a balcony, and some mouldings on the façade. These remains were scheduled as a Grade 2 property on 2 December 2009,[7] and they are also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[6]

Further reading
gollark: <@258639553357676545> else thinks I am.
gollark: Rust rust rust, Rust rust rust rust rust rust rust rust.
gollark: ```RUSTU SS UTSUR```
gollark: <@196639050126327809> what did I do?
gollark: No, really. They have books in them. Literature is books. QED.

References
  1. "The Auberge d'Italie". Malta Tourism Authority. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  2. "Church of St. Catherine of the Langue of Italy" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2014.
  3. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/cottonera-lost-cities-part-two.783665
  4. p. 6.
  5. "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.
  6. "Auberge d'Italie" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016.
  7. "Birgu's Auberge d'Italie". Times of Malta. 1 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
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