Spinola Palace (Maltese: Palazz ta' Spinola; Italian: Palazzo Spinola), also known as Spinola House, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It belonged to the Spinola family between the 17th and 18th centuries. One third of the building was demolished in the 20th century, but the remaining two wings still exist and are now used as the head office of Lombard Bank.
| Spinola Palace | |
|---|---|
Palazz ta' Spinola | |
 Palazzo Spinola on Republic Street | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Palazzo Spinola |
| General information | |
| Status | Partially intact |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Location | Valletta, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°53′58.2″N 14°30′53.2″E / 35.899500°N 14.514778°E |
| Completed | 17th century |
| Owner | Lombard Bank Malta PLC |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone |
History
editThe palace originally belonged to Fra Giovanni de Villaroel, the Balì of Noveville. In 1660, the palace was transferred to Fra Paolo Raffaele Spinola, the Balì of Lombardy, who later built another Spinola Palace in St. Julian's. In the 1720s, the Italian artist Nicolau Nasoni painted frescoes on the palace's ceiling.[1] The palace remained in the hands of the Spinola family until 1780.[2] Architect Romano Fortunato Carapecchia have given the palace a baroque facelift, from an austere façade, in the eighteenth century.[3]
The palace was divided into three parts in 1922. The wing facing St. Christopher Street was demolished to make way for apartments, while the other two wings were used as private houses or offices. Lombard Bank acquired the wing facing Republic Street in the 1970s, and converted it into their head office. The wing facing St. Frederick Street was also acquired by Lombard Bank in the 2000s.[1] It has since been restored and renovated.[4]
Further reading
edit- Zammit, Andrè (2010). "Valletta and Michele Cachia (1760 –1839) – A factual appraisal through his notebooks". In Joseph F. Grima (ed.). 60th anniversary of the Malta Historical Society: a commemoration. Zabbar: Veritas Press. pp. 407–432. ISBN 978-99932-0-942-3. OCLC 779340904. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017.
- Paul Camilleri & Associates (2010), "Completed", Palazzo Spinola, pp. 8-11.
- Menqa-morphosis
- Focus Shifts to 2017, 2018
- Frederick Street
- Mysteries Of the Maltese ‘gallarija’ (2)
References
edit- ^ a b "Valletta's Spinola Palace to get additional floor". Times of Malta. 7 July 2005. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015.
- ^ Denaro, Victor F. (1959). "Houses in Kingsway and Old Bakery Street, Valletta". Melita Historica. 2 (4): 207. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17.
- ^ Design of the portal of Spinola palace in Valletta, Malta.
- ^ "A palace for an office". Times of Malta. 29 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015.