San Anton Palace

Originally this Palace was built as a summer residence by the Knight Fra Antoine de Paul at the beginning of the 17th century. When he became the 13th Grandmaster of Malta in 1623, he added to the original building and enlarged the gardens around the palace. The English also enlarged it when it was used by the Governors of Malta. Further structural alterations have been made since it is now used as the residence of the President of the Republic of Malta.

On looking at this palace one can note that it reflects the life that the Knights of St. John where used to, mainly De Paul who was extremely rich. From the list of employees in this palace, it compares favourably with the summer palaces of European rulers. Its solid grandeur is also proof that it was built during a period when the Baroque had not yet influenced Maltese architecture, although it has a certain elegance to it.

Grand Master De Paul was greatly loved by the Maltese because he was kind hearted. The Maltese called him de Pawla and when he decided to build a new village just outside Vittoriosa, it was called Casal Pawla. However, de Paul was not popular with the Knights as he was considered a very controversial Grandmaster and some knights even worked against him. He was in fact accused of bribery to become Grand Master and criticised for his friendship with a lady who occupied a villa in the vicinty of San Anton Palace. As a member of a religious order whose members were bound by the vow of chastity, this friendship was considered scandalous. Others even maintined that during the rule of de Paul he followed the advice of his lady friend, and thus his leadership was infuenced by this lady’s personal life.

The Russian Chapel
This beautiful chapel is part of the building that was added during the British reign and built in the shape of a cross, reflecting classical architecture. It was built during the middle of the 19th century when the Neo-Classic Style was very much in vogue in our country. This style was introduced by the British when Baroque was considered antiquated and exaggerated to the extent that it was no longer considered elegant, unlike the classical style. This church was renamed the Russian Chapel when Orthodox religious functions were held in it well before the Russian refugees from the Bolshevik Revolution arrived early in the 20th century. When Queen Victoria’s second son, Alfred Ernest Albert was stationed in Malta with his wife the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, they took up residence at San Anton Palace between 1886-1889, and the chapel was adapted for the religious requirements of the Grand Duchess, who was a Russian Orthodox Christian. This chapel was recently restored and embellished with a number of items and decorations in keeping with the Russian Orthodox style.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Pillar
One can also find the original chapel of this palace which is dedicated to the ‘Madonna tal-Pilar’, who is the Patron Saint of the Knights of Castille and Portugal. The chapel was built during the time of Grand Master Vilhena who belonged to the Knights of Castille and Portugal. The beautifully decorated walls and ceiling of this chapel have been recently restored and it is open during the day for daily perpetual adoration of the Holy Eucharist.

The Main Stairway
This stairway reflects the Mannerist period when the palace was built; since the Baroque influence had not yet infiltrated Maltese architecture, it is not overly decorated. Furthermore, when the palace was used by the Grand Master, the ground floor was not considered a habitable area, as the owners lived in the piano nobile i.e. the first floor to avoid the damp of the ground floor which was used for stables. During restoration in recent years a fresco was found in a niche in the wall depicting lovely scenery.

The Hall overlooking the Gardens
This airy and well-lit room having windows overlooking the garden was the last room to be restored. The soffit of this room is made of hammered metal which was manufactured at the Malta Drydocks. The chandeliers in this room were manufactured locally and none of them are the same. Among the interesting paintings in this room one in particular which stands out is from the school of Preti representing an image of Our Lady.

The Piano Room
This hall hosts paintings by Mexican artist Morlete Ruiz, which present scenes of various important ports, a gift to the Order of St. John. In this room one can also find the armchair on which Pope Benedict XVI sat during his visit to Malta.

The Dining Room
Until a few years ago this room was used as the palace kitchen. This was recently converted into a dining room which can accommodate about 30 people around the table.

The Original Dining Room
A table which accommodates 10 people fits in this room, and it was for this reason that the need was felt for a bigger room. In this room we also find a locally manufactured chandelier similar to the one in the room overlooking the garden. There are also 4 painting representing four apostles by the Maltese artist Guzeppe Cali. These together with the rest of the set of the 12 apostles were originally painted for the Anglican Cathedral in Valletta. When the British left Malta in 1979, on the insistance of the director of museums Fr Marius Zerafa this set of paintings was left as a gift to the Maltese people.

The President’s Office
From this office the officials in the civil service are sworn in by the President. The large painting is a portrait of Grand Master Emmanoel Pinto de Fonseca. The chandelier was also manufactured in Malta and similar to the ones in the rooms mentioned before.

The Sitting Room
The president welcomes guests informally in this room dedicated to Sir Anthony Mamo who was the last Governor of Malta. Sir Anthony Mamo was the last representative of Queen Elizabeth II, therefore the Head of Malta between Independence in 1964 and the amendment of the Constitution when Malta became a Republic in 1974. When Malta became a Republic, Sir Anthony Mamo became the first President. This room houses an almost complete set of paintings of the apostles by Guzeppe Cali, apart from one which forms part of a private collection. The two chandeliers in this room were also locally manufactured.

The Private Part of the Palace
A corridor leads us to the private part of the palace which is the residence of the President.

The Grand Masters’ Hall In this hall one can find a number of portraits of the Grand Masters who ruled Malta. The portrait of Grand Master Antoine de Paule is found in the most central and prominent place in the hall. Other portraits depict Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt who financed the building of the towers of Comino, San Lucian, Saint Thomas, Saint Paul’s Bay and the one in Zabbar which no longer exits. He is also known for the large number of churches he built dedicated to St Paul to increased the devotion towards this saint who in 60 AD was shipwrecked on our island. But above all Wignacourt will remain known for the building of the aqueducts which brought much-needed water to Valletta.

We also find a portrait of Grand Master Emmanuel Pinto who ruled Malta for 32 years. He set up the School of Medicine and the University, built warehouses along the harbour to increase commerce, remodelled the Auberge de Castille and the facade of the Magisterial Palace. He upheld Malta’s sovreignity and to show his might he renamed the city of Qormi, Città Pinto.

Other portraits depict Grand Master De Rohan who renamed Zebbug, Città Rohan and Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena who financed Fort Manoel. Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena also built the Manoel Theatre and the Banca Giuratale in Mdina and Victoria Gozo. He built a number of palaces and played a major role in the building of the suburb of Floriana.

Another portrait depicts Grand Master Francisco Ximenes de Texada who was known as one of the cruelest Grand Masters in Malta. There was no love lost between him and the Maltese people, which led to an uprising by Maltese clergy led by Don Gaetan Mannarino against the Order of Saint John.

The final portrait depicts the last Grand Master of Malta, the German Ferdinad von Hompesch, who during his six months ruling upgraded three villages to cities, these being Zabbar which he renamed Città Hompesch, Siggiewi which he renamed Città Ferdinad and Zejtun which he renamed Città Beland. Hompesch was loved by many Maltese and was the only Grand Master who could speak Maltese. However, six months after becoming Grandmaster, he was ousted by Napoleon Bonapart.

The Entrance
In the entrance hall leading to these rooms stand four white marble busts, which originally adorned the exterior of the Royal Opera House in Valletta. These busts were salvaged from the bombing ruins, while the rest of the collection are found in one of the private gardens of the palace.