Selmun Palace (Maltese: Il-Palazz ta' Selmun), also known as Selmun Tower, is a villa on the Selmun Peninsula in Mellieħa, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi, funded by the Monte di Pietà.[2] The palace was located on the grounds of a hotel until it closed in 2011.[3]
| Selmun Palace | |
|---|---|
Il-Palazz ta' Selmun | |
 Façade of Selmun Palace | |
  Selmun Palace Location within Malta | |
| Alternative names | Selmun Tower Selmun Castle |
| General information | |
| Status | Intact |
| Type | Villa |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Location | Selmun, Mellieħa, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°57′33.2″N 14°22′53.5″E / 35.959222°N 14.381528°E |
| Completed | 18th century |
| Client | Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi |
| Owner | Government of Malta[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | possibly Domenico Cachia |
History
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Selmun Palace was built by the Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi, a charity that was founded during the reign of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt in 1607 to finance the redemption of Christians enslaved by Ottomans or Barbary corsairs.[4] The site of the villa originally contained a coastal lookout post, and it was part of a large estate which also included the Mistra Gate. The estate had been left to the Monte di Redenzione by the noblewoman Caterina Vitale upon her death in 1619.[5] The villa used to be rented out to knights of the Order of Saint John as a place to relax and hunt wild rabbits, which were commonly found in the area. The rent money contributed to the redemption fund.[6][7]
The villa itself was built some time in the 18th century, although the exact date of construction is not known. The earliest record of the structure is on a 1783 map, when it was referred to as Torre Nuova (new tower). The palace's architect is unknown, but it is sometimes attributed to Domenico Cachia[8] or Tumas Cachia.[9]
During the period of the Maltese rebellion against the French, the British utilised the villa as a naval hospital, the first in Malta to be used for such purpose.[10]
In the 1840s, a semaphore station was installed on the villa.[11] The building was mentioned in the Antiquities List of 1925.[12]
Hotel
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A hotel known as Selmun Palace Hotel was built close to the villa, and it was owned by Selmun Palace Hotel Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Air Malta. Some suites were included in the villa itself, which was also used as a wedding venue.[13]
The hotel was closed in January 2011 as part of a restructuring strategy in which Air Malta began to focus solely on the airline industry instead of other operations.[14] Plans are being made to sell the hotel to the government,[15] while the construction of a new wing for the hotel has also been proposed.[16]
Selmun Palace was scheduled by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) as a Grade 1 national monument on 10 January 2012.[6] It is in need of restoration.[17]
Architecture
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Selmun Palace is an example of Baroque architecture. It has a square plan with four pseudo-bastions on each side, the design of which was inspired by the Verdala Palace and the Wignacourt towers. These bastions as well as fake embrasures were mainly built for aesthetic purposes, and the structure was never intended for military use. Despite this, it served as a deterrent for corsairs looking for a potential landing spot, since it looked like a military outpost when viewed from the sea.[8] The main facade has three doors, with the main one being surrounded by a decorative portal. An ornate window on the upper floor and a bell-cot on the roof surmount the main door. A balcony surrounds the perimeter of the entire building.[18]
A chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Ransom was located within the villa. In the 1980s, a new chapel with the same dedication was built outside the villa.[19]
See also
editFurther reading
editReferences
edit- ^ "Government plans to develop Selmun Palace Hotel into commercial venture". Times of Malta. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ MacGill, Thomas (1839). A Hand Book, Or Guide, for Strangers Visiting Malta. L. Tonna. p. 122.
- ^ "Selmun Palace Hotel workers made redundant". Times of Malta. 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Velde, François (7 June 2002). "Heraldic Tour of Malta (2) – Other Depictions of Grand Magistral Arms". heraldica.org. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Farrugia, Melanie. "Selmun Palace – Outside". maltain360.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Selmun Tower". Times of Malta. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Dillon, Paddy (2016). Walking on Malta. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 98. ISBN 9781783622917.
- ^ a b Spiteri, Stephen C. (2013). "In Defence of the Coast (I) – The Bastioned Towers". Arx - International Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (3): 112–115. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Bonnici, A. (19 April 1975). "It-Torrijiet Taghna" (PDF). Leħen is-Sewwa. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Savona-Ventura, C. (1998). "Human Suffering during the Maltese Insurrection of 1798" (PDF). Storja. 3 (6): 56–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Semaphore Tower". Għargħur Local Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "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 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Selmun Palace Hotel". MalteseIslands.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011.
- ^ "Just one offer made in Selmun Palace Hotel sale". Times of Malta. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Zammit, Marion (16 October 2014). "L-Air Malta tbigħ il-Palazz ta' Selmun lill-Gvern". Newsbook (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Mepa suggests new wing for Selmun Palace Hotel". Times of Malta. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Selmun Castle Mellieha Malta". livinginmalta.com. 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Debono, Charles. "Fortifications – Selmun Palace – Selmun". Mellieha.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020.
- ^ Muscat, Jimmy (14 March 2012). "Mellieħa – An introduction to a destination for all seasons". Mellieha.gov.mt. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
