During the reign of Grand
Master La Cassiere in 1572 the palace originally consisted of the former
Auberge d’Italie and the two-storey house of Eustacio di Monte. The Grandmaster
further added the Supreme Council Chamber on the airspace overlying the old
Auberge. Between 1582 and 1595, Grand Master de Verdalle ordered the
construction of a summer apartment on what was left un built by the Italian
Auberge. Gerolamo Cassar (1520-1592) who was appointed with the challenging
task of building the palace included entirely the whole block all the way up to
Merchants Street with the result that the palace became the largest single
building in Valletta. The former stepped skyline of the palace became
substituted by a straight cornice while the old and modest rusticated entrance
of the former residence was replaced by a new monumental doorway
projecting upwards to more than half the height of the first floor.
The facade of the palace
as we know it today is the result of the grandiose reconstruction works of the
palace which was carried out during the reign of Grand Master Manoel Pinto de
Fonseca. The single portal from Strada San Giorgio was reinforced by
a second portal of architecturally equal importance, while what were two
doorways into the former Auberge d’Italie from Archbishop Street were replaced
by the present entrance. The redesign of the palace is attributed to the
Maltese architect Andrea Belli. One of the reasons is that the two new palace
doorways are very similar to the massive portal of the Augustinian priory in
Rabat which was designed by Andrea Belli ( 1703-1772) in 1740.
A newly discovered plan
showing the ground floor and a contemporary description of the Grandmaster’s
Palace was found recently, the plan and the description are dated to post 1741,
that is, after the reconstruction works of the palace ordered by Grandmaster
Manoel Pinto de Fonseca, as they show and describe the palace with two
entrances in Republic Street as we know it today. However, this new information
contains a number of details that throw new light on the original layout of the
palace. The manuscript describes the palace as a rectangular building in the
city of Valletta facing the four winds with its facade, having two marble
entrances oriented towards the northwest. There is also the mentioning of the ‘corpo
di guardia’ and veteran soldiers who daily changes guard at the palace. It
also refers to a veranda (loggia) which is probably the roofed arched
passageway surrounding Neptune’s courtyard. There is also a reference to the
dining room used by the palatial knights and pages, two kitchens, the slaves’
prison towards the northeast, two coach rooms, the stables, an entrance
presumably the one leading to Archbishop’s Street the guard and postilion room,
a small courtyard leading to an orchard with citrus trees, a flight of eighteen
steps which according to the plan should be the staircase adjoining Prince
Alfred’s courtyard with Neptune’s courtyard, and the entrance leading to Old
Theatre Street. The plan and description also indicate two staircases, one
still existing (built by Grandmaster Verdalle) and a smaller staircase that no
longer exists today. From here onwards the description refers to the piano
nobile where there is a reference to the winter and summer apartments, the
latter also built by de Verdalle, the council chamber, another room, a chapel
for the celebration of mass, a room adorned with paintings, a reference to ferro
piccioli and swords probably housed in the armoury, a beautiful hall and
room, both adorned and used for councils, and another chapel.
Towards the end of the
description there is the mention of the tower in which were hidden the
treasures of the Order, surmounted by a clock which struck every hour. Such a
reference surely predates the turret clock inaugurated by Pinto on 22 June
1745. Therefore, the dating of this plan and description should be after 1741,
the date when Pinto ascended to the throne and before June 1745, the date when
Pinto’s clock was inaugurated in the smaller courtyard. The plan and the
description are found in the Cabreo del Magistero and the Cabreo
della Secrezia respectively. The plan along with most of the other
illustrations is still in a very good condition but the description, which is
on page one, is battered due to the worn out condition of the first foglio of
the Cabreo della Secrezia.
The main issue with the
conservation was the sheer size of facade. It was noted during an
inspection that the elaborate sculptured corbels required a high level of
craftsmanship and meticulous interventions. The long wooden corner balconies
had to be carefully restored by specialised workmen. Some areas such as the
corner on Merchants and Archbishop Street were suffering from recalcification
where Ca+ ions migrate to the surface and create a crust leaving behind a
layer of friable stone material which is calcium depleted. The outer stone
layer or crust was falling bit by bit to the streets below. Whilst trying to
retain as much of the original stone material as possible due to aesthetic
considerations the lost material was replaced so that the architecture of the
facade could remain legible. Several localised cracks appeared to be of no
structural consequence. In such instances interventions were limited to the
removal of metal inserts when they were causing the damage and adhesives were
used to ensure re-attachment of the detached stonework. Stone replacement was
only resorted to in extreme cases. Rusting steel elements were a major cause of
damage to the stonework. Better detailing and more appropriate materials were
used to avoid reoccurrence in the future. With regards to black crust various
methods of removal were applied, depending on the consistency of the dirt and
the condition of the underlying stone. The cleaning techniques adopted were
non-abrasive, to ensure that the stone patina was being preserved.
Located beneath the
balcony at the corner of St. George’s Square and Archbishop Street, some of the
gypsum corbels beneath the corner balcony exhibited cracks in varying degrees,
the methods of intervention were not to let the timber fascia of the balcony touch
and bear pressure on the corbels, the use of a better mix which is less prone
to cracking and making sure that the timber frame beneath the gypsum was sound.
An experienced sculptor who understands the material problems was
required. Some of the timber balconies were infested with dry and
wet rot even though from afar they appeared sound. The deteriorated areas were
replaced, retaining as much as possible of the original timber fabric.
Preservative coatings were then applied to safeguard the timber balconies.
Additionally some of the timber balconies have iron stays or cables connecting
the balcony roof to the facade wall so as to take part of the balcony load. As
most of the metal supports were rusty, at times becoming detached from their
anchorage, they were replaced with stainless steel cables and were fixed with a
proprietary grout.