The Grandmasters Palace
The Grandmasters Palace, or il-Palazz, as it is officially known in Maltese, is the largest palace in Valletta. It occupies a city block in the centre of the city and its façade is in St. George’s Square, just opposite the Main Guard and along Republic Street, one of Valletta’s main streets.
The Grandmasters Palace was one of the first buildings to be built in Valletta between the 16th and 18th century. The original building was designed by Gelormu Cassar but successive Grandmasters enlarged and modified the building as best suited them to use it as their official residence. The Grandmaster’s Palace always hosted the government in Malta: first the Grandmaster’s residence, then the Governor’s Palace when Malta was under British rule. In fact, it was the seat of Malta’s first constitutional parliament in 1921. From Malta’s independence in 1964 until 2015, the building was the seat of Malta’s Parliament. It presently hosts the President’s office.
The main façade of the Grandmasters Palace in built in a simple mannerist style and is asymmetrical, due to the extensive alterations made to the building, over the centuries. There are two main entrances on the façade, each consisting of an arched doorway surrounded by an ornate portal which supports an open balcony. Long closed timber balconies go around the corners of the main façade. The building’s exterior was originally painted in red ochre, which was the colour used by the order of St. John to denote public buildings.
The State Rooms are housed within the Grandmasters Palace and some of them are open for public viewing. The Throne Room, originally known as the Supreme Council Hall, was built during the reign of Grandmaster Jean de la Cassiere and was used to host ambassadors and visiting high ranking dignitaries. It is currently used by the President of Malta, for state functions and is decorated with a freize depicting events from the Great Seige of 1565.The long Armoury Corridor is decorated with trompe l’oeil painting, scenes of naval battles and the portraits of several Grandmasters.
A large hall at the rear of the Grandmaster’s Palace was used as an armoury from 1604 onwards. The extensive collection, which is now housed in two former stables, is open to the public and includes many suits of armour, cannons, swords, firearms and other weapons. Some of the most interesting exhibits include a breastplate worn by La Valette and a beautifully damascened suit made for Alof de Wignacourt.
A visit to the Grandmasters Palace is one which should certainly not be missed by all those visiting Valletta.