Grand Master’s Palace and Armoury

Array

The most grandiose of Malta’s palace interiors, the Grand Master’s Palace was actually meant to be built elsewhere, then started life as three houses joined up to form a palace, and now serves as the office of the President of Malta – said to be haunted!

In Valletta’s original plans, the Magisterial Palace was located on the high ground where Auberge de Castille now stands, however it was thought that this site would be too exposed to enemy fire and a more protected site on Piazza San Giorgio was chosen. This was already built as the Auberge d’Italie and two private houses, so Girolamo Cassar, the architect of the Auberge, was commissioned to merge the three properties into one palace, which explains the two very different courtyards on different levels.

The Palace façade was further unified in the 1740s under Grand Master Pinto de Fonseca, when Gerolamo Cassar’s austere façade was embellished by two Baroque portals. The impressive closed wooden balconies that wrap around the palace facades are said to be the first in Malta, proposed by Grand Master Pinto’s North African slave, keen to provide amusement for his master. The balconies are supported by stone corbels decorated with shields of Grandmasters and a truly grotesque corbel on the corner.

In 1745, Pinto commissioned the large ornate clock overlooking Prince Alfred’s courtyard. The upper turret features four bronze figures, known as jacquemarts which symbolise Turkish slaves striking the clock bells. The clock has four faces. The middle one shows the hour and the others show the month, day, and phases of the moon.

The Neptune Courtyard is dominated by a statue thought to be Neptune when in fact it portrays the Italian Admiral Andrea Doria, and is the work of John of Bologna, the sculptor of the Medicis.

A wide spiral staircase ascends from the grand courtyard; it is said to have been designed with very shallow steps to allow knights to mount the stairs in their heavy armour. This grand staircase opens onto the most magnificent corridors in Europe, covered in art from their marble-inlay floors, to their walls adorned by portraits and tapestries, up to their frescoed ceilings.

The red damask walls of the Ambassadors’ Room are surrounded by precious furniture and frescoes depicting episodes of the history of the Order of St. John by the artist Joel lo Spada. This is where the Grand Master received important visitors, and where the Maltese President still receives foreign envoys. It contains portraits of the French kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, and several Grand Masters.

Sadly, the Grand Master’s bedroom no longer serves as such, though its secret staircase, a conveniently discreet entry for Pinto’s paramours, must still exist within the thick palace walls.

Thanks to the practice that every Grand Master would embellish the palace, it contains unique treasures, including the only intact set of famous 18th century French Gobelins tapestries in the world entitled, “Les Teintures des Indes”, gifted to the Order in 1710 by Grand Master Ramon Perellos. The work was inspired by designs presented to King Louis XIV of France in 1679, featuring exotic scenes of Africa, India, the Caribbean and Brazil, including wild animals, a rhino and a zebra being attacked by a leopard; and a scene with palm trees, a tapir, a jaguar and an iguana. This hall, with its original coffered ceiling and cycle of wall paintings showing the Orders’ naval battles against the Ottomans, was Malta’s original parliament chamber, before it moved to the old armoury here, then to the new Parliament building.

When the palace became the residence of the British Governor, the Supreme Council Hall became The Throne Room, now used for presidential state functions. The important cycle of wall paintings decorating the upper part of the hall are the work of Matteo Perez d’Aleccio, a precious record of the Great Siege of Malta.

The Armoury is the pride of the palace, during the reign of Grand Master Pinto there were enough arms for 25,000 people. Although French plundered it, the collection remains full of interesting pieces including la Valette’s breastplate, the beautiful steel inlaid with gold suit made for Alof de Wignacourt, and captured Turkish Sipahi (cavalry) armour. The Armoury also displays beautiful suits of armour, plus weapons including crossbows, muskets, swords and pistols.

Finally, the Grand Master’s Palace was connected to a secret tunnel to allow the Grand Master to escape in case of attack. This tunnel was rediscovered by members of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar in 2010.

Since the Grand Masters’ Palace is now the office of the President of Malta, it is not always open to the public, however the Armoury would be. Plan your tour beforehand so as not miss this sumptuous building!

Reasons to Visit
1. The only complete and intact set of the famous 18th century “Les Teintures des Indes”, French Gobelins tapestries in the world.
2. The most complete set of images of the Great Siege of 1565 painted by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio.
3. The portrait of the rulers of the Maltese Islands from the Knights of St John to the present day.
4. The late 18th century Baroque illusionistic ceiling paintings that reflect the pageantry and of the Grand Masters as they imitated the great aristocratic courts of Europe.
5. Two different and charming courtyards, especially the lush Prince Albert courtyard with its impressive clocks.
6. One of the largest armouries in the world that is still housed in its original building.

Nearby Attractions:
– Casa Rocca Piccola
– Manoel Theatre
– St John’s Co-Cathedral
– Museum of Archaeology
– The Biblioteca (National Library)
– Caffe Cordina

Due to ongoing conservation works currently taking place inside the Palace State Rooms, the combined admission ticket price of the Palace State Rooms and Armoury is temporarily reduced, as follows:
Adults at €7, Seniors / Students / Concessions €5, Children €4.

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday between 10.00 and 16.30hrs (last admission at 16:00hrs). Saturday and Sunday between 09.00 and 16.30hrs (last admission at 16:00hrs).
Closed on the 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January & Good Friday, though the Staterooms may be closed on other days due to presidential functions.

Further Reading:
https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160515/arts-entertainment/the-grandmasters-guardian.612172

The Palace