Auberge de Provence

Auberge de Provence
Berġa ta' Provenza
Auberge de Provence
General information
Status	Intact
Architectural style	Baroque
Address	Republic Street
Town or city	Valletta
Country	Malta
Coordinates	35°53′51″N 14°30′40.5″E / 35.89750°N 14.511250°E / 35.89750; 14.511250
Completed	1574
Renovated	1638
Design and construction
Architect	Girolamo Cassar

The Auberge surrounded by rubble from bombed buildings, 11 May 1942.

The Auberge de Provence (Maltese: Berġa ta' Provenza) is one of the auberges built in the sixteenth century in Valletta, Malta, for the langues of the knights of the Order of Saint John. It housed the langue of Provence until the French occupation of Malta in 1798.

The building’s façade is imprinted with Mannerist characteristics usually associated with its architect Girolamo Cassar. Auberge de Provence was extensively enlarged and refurbished in 1638. The Grand Salon on the first floor is the most ornate room in the building. The Knights used it for business discussions, and as a refectory and banqueting hall, where they sat at long tables according to seniority.

When Napoleon expelled the Knights from Malta in 1798 the Auberge was vacated. When British rule occupied the Maltese islands two years later it was used for a variety of purposes including a hotel and a military barracks.^[1] In 1826, it was leased to the Malta Union Club, and the lease was set to expire in 2002.

In World War II the Auberge was not destroyed even though nearby buildings were hit by aerial bombardment. On 12 August 1955 lease to the Malta Union Club was terminated and the Auberge was assigned to house Malta’s National Museum of Archaeology. The museum was opened in 1958 by the Minister of Education Agatha Barbara and remains open to this day. It houses many artifacts dating back to the Neolithic up to the Phoenician Period.^[2]

References

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