Maltese Windows

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When the Knights of Malta built Valletta in the 17th century, it was admired by all who saw it. We don’t realise that it took 400 years or so to look the way it does today. At the very beginning, for instance, there were no glass windows anywhere in Valletta.

In the 16th century, windows made out of plate-glass were unheard of. Technology that could make glass at reasonable prices had yet to be invited. Having a hole in the wall meant exposing oneself to the elements, so people used shutters and thick curtains to protect themselves from the rain, cold and damp. This also explains why the windows in old Maltese houses were often very small, to keep the cold out.

The Knights’ old residential lodges, or auberges in Birgu were no exception. Huge leather curtains hung in place purely to keep the damp winter cold at bay.

In 1587, Philibert de Chamesson was the Grand Prior heading the “Langue de France”. He brought a glazier from France to Malta which made this technological development fashionable on the island. The timing was perfect as the building of Valletta was being concluded so all the Auberges ended up having modern glass windows.

This ‘glazing of Valletta’ took place earlier than in other countries, as England, for instance, only started using glass window in 17th century. The French had mastered the process earlier and kept this a secret. They could, at the time, make glass plates 1.8m (6 feet) in diameter. It is no surprise that a French Knight would have brought this new development to the Knights’ new base in Malta.

Obviously windows would have reached the island eventually even if de Chamesson hadn’t intervened. But we can say that it was the French introduced windows to Malta.

Author: Antone Borg

This article first appeared in: http://www.unexpectedtraveller.com/Blog/tag/valletta/