Login
Login

Architecture of Malta

{{Short description|none}}

{{multiple image|perrow = 2|total_width=400

| image1 = Sudika Mnajdra porthole.jpg |width1=908|height1=1024

| image2 = Kapella Santa Cilja.jpeg |width2=1812|height2=1193

| image3 = Parish-church-attard.jpg |width3=713|height3=530

| image4 = Castille Palace 01.jpg |width4=2592|height4=1936

| image5 = Valletta St Johns square Malta 2014 2.jpg |width5=3000|height5=1891

| image6 = Sliema Malta Colored-Balconies-01.jpg |width6=4251|height6=2834

| image7 = Balluta B.jpg |width7=1928|height7=1239

| image8 = Pietà Malta Buildings 19.jpg |width8=1620|height8=1080

| image9 = Manikata.jpg |width9=2324|height9=1529

| image10 = Ta' Xbiex, Malta.JPG |width10=4000|height10=3000

| footer = Examples of Maltese architecture from different periods: the prehistoric Mnajdra Temples, the medieval Santa Cecilia Chapel, the Renaissance parish church of Attard, the Baroque Auberge de Castille, the neoclassical Main Guard, traditional townhouses in Sliema, the Art Nouveau Balluta Buildings, the modernist Rediffusion House, the critical regionalist Manikata church and contemporary apartments in Ta' Xbiex

}}

Maltese architecture has its origins in prehistory, and some of the oldest free-standing structures on Earth – a series of megalithic temples – can be found on Malta.{{cite book|editor=T. Cortis|title= L-arkitettura : xhieda ta' l-identita' nazzjonali|location=Valletta|publisher=Department of Information|last=Ellul|first=Michael|date=1989|chapter=L-identita` kulturali ta' Malta : kungress nazzjonali, 13-15 ta' April 1989|language=mt|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/41375/1/L-arkitettura_xhieda_ta_l-identita_nazzjonali_1989.pdf|pages=93–116}} The islands were colonized by the Phoenicians and later the Romans, who established the cities of Melite and Gaulos. Although these were substantial settlements and are known to have had numerous temples, churches and palaces, few remains have survived apart from some architectural fragments.{{cite journal|journal=Scientia|last=Galea|first=R. V.|date=1954|title=Architecture in Malta|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2008(1942)3(Jul.-Sept.)/01.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418034702/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2008(1942)3(Jul.-Sept.)/01.pdf|archive-date=18 April 2016|volume=8|issue=3|pages=99–107}}

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Malta became part of the Byzantine Empire, before falling to the Arabs in 870. Virtually no examples of Byzantine or Arab architecture have survived, although the Arabs left a significant influence on Maltese vernacular architecture which remained popular in subsequent centuries. Malta became part of the County and later the Kingdom of Sicily in 1091, and Norman architecture and other European styles were introduced to the island. Relatively few examples of medieval architecture have survived, including a few buildings in Mdina and the Cittadella, as well as several chapels in the Maltese countryside.

Maltese architecture flourished while the islands were under the rule of the Order of St. John from 1530 to 1798. The Hospitallers introduced Renaissance architecture to Malta in the mid-16th century, with the Baroque style becoming popular about a century later. The two and a half centuries of Hospitaller rule saw the establishment of new settlements (most notably the capital Valletta) and the construction of many churches, palaces and public buildings. The Order also built bastioned fortifications around the main cities, apart from a series of coastal and inland defences.{{cite journal|journal=Scientia|last=Galea|first=R. V.|date=1954|title=Architecture in Malta (Continued)|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2008(1942)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417211859/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2008(1942)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2016|volume=8|issue=4|pages=148–160}}

After Malta became part of the British Empire in 1800, Neoclassical and Neo-Gothic architecture were introduced, and they were the predominant styles of the 19th century. Several styles left an influence on Maltese architecture in the first half of the 20th century, including Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Italian futurism, rationalism and modernism.{{cite journal|journal=The Architect|editor=David Felice|last=Said|first=Edward|title=The Architecture of Gustavo R. Vincenti (1888-1974)|url=https://kamratalperiti.org/wp-content/uploads/tA037.pdf|publisher=Media Today|pages=18–19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120061815/https://kamratalperiti.org/wp-content/uploads/tA037.pdf|archive-date=20 January 2018}} Malta experienced a building boom after World War II, which increased after independence in 1964.{{cite journal|journal=Melita Historica|last=Thake|first=Conrad|editor=David Mallia|date=2014|title=Architecture in Post-Independence Malta: Past, Present and Future|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/22530/MELITA%20HISTORICA%20-%20Post%20Independence%20Architecture%20in%20Malta.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|volume=16|issue=3|publisher=Book Distributors Limited|pages=89–100|issn=1021-6952}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The modernist style remained popular, but new styles such as critical regionalism were also introduced.

Prehistoric architecture

{{main|Megalithic Temples of Malta}}

File:Ġgantija_2014-007.jpg ]]

The Ġgantija temples (two sites) were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.{{cite web | title= Megalithic Temples of Malta| url= https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/132|access-date=2008-09-16}} In 1992, the UNESCO Committee further extended the existing listing to include five other megalithic temple sites. These are Ħaġar Qim (in Qrendi), Mnajdra (in Qrendi), Ta' Ħaġrat Temples (in Mġarr), Skorba Temples (in Żebbiegħ) and Tarxien Temples (in Tarxien). Nowadays, the sites are managed by Heritage Malta, while ownership of the surrounding lands varies from site to site.{{cite web|url=http://www.otsf.org/ |title=Malta Temples and The OTS Foundation |publisher=Otsf.org |access-date=2009-07-22}}David Trump et al., Malta Before History (2004: Miranda Publishers) Apart from these, there are other megalithic temples in Malta which are not included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Roman architecture

File:Sudika Rabat Domus Romana.jpg of Rabat's Domvs Romana]]

The Domvs Romana (Latin for "Roman House"), is a ruined Roman-era house located on the boundary between Mdina and Rabat, Malta. It was built in the 1st century BC as an aristocratic town house (domus) within the Roman city of Melite.

Arab architecture

{{Empty section|date=December 2019}}

Medieval architecture

{{Div col|colwidth=24em}}

{{div col end}}

File:Palazzo_Falson_Palazzo_Navarra.png|Palazzo Falson (1495)

File:Chapel_of_St._Marija_ta'_Bir_Miftuh.jpg|St Mary's Chapel, Bir Miftuħ

File:Kappella_tal-Lunzjata_Ħal-Millieri.jpg|Chapel of the Annunciation, Żurrieq (Kappella tal-Lunzjata)

File:St_Bartholomew_chapel_Rabat.jpg|St Bartholomew's Chapel, Rabat

File:Citadel.png|Aerial view at night of the Cittadella (Gozo) in 2017, showing the Hospitaller-era bastions

Maltese Baroque architecture

{{main|Maltese Baroque architecture}}

File:Castille Palace 01.jpg, designed by Andrea Belli in 1741–45]]

The Maltese Baroque is the form of Baroque architecture that developed in Malta during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the islands were under the rule of the Order of St. John.[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/12023/OA%20Appunti%20sull'%20architettura%20religiosa%20a%20Malta%20in%20eta%20Barocca.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y ]{{dead link|date=September 2019}} The Baroque style was introduced in Malta in the early 17th century, possibly by the Bolognese engineer Bontadino de Bontadini during the construction of the Wignacourt Aqueduct. The style became popular in the mid to late 17th century, and it reached its peak during the 18th century, when monumental Baroque structures such as Auberge de Castille were constructed.

The Baroque style began to be replaced by neoclassical architecture and other styles in the early 19th century, when Malta was under British rule. Despite this, Baroque elements continued to influence traditional Maltese architecture. Many churches continued to the built in the Baroque style throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and to a lesser extent in the 21st century.{{cite web|url=https://susanklaiber.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/eahn2018_proceedings.pdf |title=Conference proceedings |date=2018 |website=susanklaiber.files.wordpress.com |access-date=2019-09-23}}

19th century architecture

{{further|Historicism (architecture)}}

File:Malta_-_Mgarr_-_Triq_il-Kbira_-_Castello_Zamittello_05_ies.jpg in Mgarr]]

= Victorian architecture =

=Neoclassical architecture=

{{main|Neoclassical architecture#Malta}}

File:Malta - Mosta - Triq il-Kbira + Rotunda 01 ies.jpg, which was built between 1833 and 1860]]

Neoclassical architecture was introduced in Malta in the late 18th century, during the final years of Hospitaller rule. Early examples include the Bibliotheca (1786),{{cite web|title=Bibliotheca|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01141.pdf|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|date=28 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206112815/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01141.pdf|archive-date=6 December 2015}} the De Rohan Arch (1798){{cite news|title=Rohan Gate, Żebbuġ|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121211/environment/Rohan-Gate-ebbu-.449132|work=Times of Malta|date=11 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204152202/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121211/environment/Rohan-Gate-ebbu-.449132|archive-date=4 December 2015}} and the Hompesch Gate (1801).{{cite book|last1=Bötig|first1=Klaus|title=Malta, Gozo. Con atlante stradale|date=2011|publisher=EDT srl|isbn=9788860407818|page=54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJRt65t6jpgC&pg=PA54|language=it}} However, neoclassical architecture only became popular in Malta following the establishment of British rule in the early 19th century. In 1814, a neoclassical portico decorated with the British coat of arms was added to the Main Guard building so as to serve as a symbol of British Malta. Other 19th century neoclassical buildings include the Monument to Sir Alexander Ball (1810), RNH Bighi (1832), St Paul's Pro-Cathedral (1844), the Rotunda of Mosta (1860) and the now-destroyed Royal Opera House (1866).{{cite web|title=Architecture in Malta under the British|url=http://www.culturemalta.org/48/10/Architecture-in-Malta-under-the-British|website=culturemalta.org|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007210825/http://www.culturemalta.org/48/10/Architecture-in-Malta-under-the-British|archive-date=7 October 2015}}

Neoclassicism gave way to other architectural styles by the late 19th century. Few buildings were built in the neoclassical style during the 20th century, such as the Domvs Romana museum (1922),{{cite web|title=Domvs Romana|url=http://heritagemalta.org/museums-sites/domvs-romana/|website=Heritage Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105055519/http://heritagemalta.org/museums-sites/domvs-romana/|archive-date=5 January 2015}} and the Courts of Justice building in Valletta (1965–71).{{cite web|title=The Courts|url=http://www.judiciarymalta.gov.mt/the-courts|website=The Judiciary – Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106133921/http://judiciarymalta.gov.mt/the-courts|archive-date=6 January 2015}}

= Romanesque Revival architecture =

File:Ta'Braxia_Chapel_Pieta.jpg Chapel]]

{{main|Romanesque Revival architecture }}

= Gothic Revival architecture =

File:Balluta_Bay,_Church.jpg by Gustavo R. Vincenti]]

{{main|Gothic Revival architecture }}

= Neo-Renaissance =

File:Building_Malta.jpg]]

= Moorish Revival architecture =

File:Turkish_Military_Cemetery,_Malta_27.jpg by Emanuele Luigi Galizia]]

{{main|Moorish Revival architecture}}

= Eclecticism =

20th century architecture

= Art Nouveau / Art Deco architecture =

File:Rose_Ville_in_2017_03.jpg|Villa RoseVille in Attard, by Alessandro Manara (1912) and Emanuele Borg (1921)

File:Malta_-_St._Julian's_-_it-Telgha_ta'_San_Giljan_-_Balluta_Buildings_02_ies.jpg|Balluta Buildings by Giuseppe Psaila, 1928

File:Orpheum_Theatre_110318_Ver_2.jpg|Orpheum Theatre (Malta) in Gżira, by Harold J. Borg, 1932, Spanish Art Nouveau style

File:Art Deco House in Gzira.jpg|Private residence of Joseph Colombo in Triq d'Argens (Gżira), 1936. The traditional townhouse had been reinterpreted in a modernist style making use of strong geometric motifs.

File:Malta_-_Floriana_-_Vjal_il-Re_Dwardu_VII_-_MCP_car_park+Malta_Memorial+Hotel_Phoenicia_01_ies.jpg|Hotel Phoenicia in Floriana, by William Binnie, 1936–39

Gżira,_Muscat_Motors_(central_view).jpg|Muscats Motors in Gżira by Joseph Colombo, 1945, Streamline Moderne style

= Modernist architecture =

File:Ta' Xbiex, Villino Ellul (2).jpg|Villino Ellul in Ta' Xbiex by Salvatore Ellul, 1937–38

File:Malta_-_Floriana_-_Triq_l-Ghassara_tal-Gheneb+It-Telgha_ta'_Spencer_(Il-Moll_tal-Pont)_01_ies.jpg|Sea Malta Building by Mortimer and de Giorgio Architects, 1949

File:Pietà_Malta_Buildings_19.jpg|Rediffusion House by Carmelo Falzon, 1958

File:Pietà_Malta_Buildings_06.jpg|Ġ. F. Abela Junior College by Victor Anastasi, 1962–66

File:Valletta City Gate.jpg|Alziro Bergonzo's Fourth Gate of Valletta, 1964–65

File:Aqueduct farson brewers.jpeg|William B. Binnie's and Lewis V. Farrugia's Farsons Brewery

  • Joseph G. Huntingford{{cite web|url=https://gozo.news/71310/gozo-museum-given-go-ahead-to-be-housed-in-modernist-building/|title=Gozo Museum given go ahead to be housed in "modernist" building|date=May 3, 2018}}

Contemporary architecture

{{cite web|url=https://lovinmalta.com/malta/contemporary-architecture-that-makes-you-proud-to-be-maltese|title=Contemporary Architecture That Makes You Proud To Be Maltese|website=lovinmalta.com|date=28 July 2016 }}

File:Parliament_House_(Malta).jpeg|Parliament House (Malta) by Renzo Piano

File:Malta_-_Valletta_-_Xatt_Lascaris+Upper_Barrakka_Lift_(MSTHC)_01_ies.jpg|Barrakka Lift by Architecture Project Valletta

File:Malta - Valletta - Pjazza Kastilja - St. James Cavalier in 01 ies.jpg|Saint James Cavalier Centre for Creativity by Richard England

File:Malta - Mellieha-Manikata + Triq Mellieha - Misrah il-Parrocca - Manikata Parish Church 01 ies.jpg|Manikata Parish Church, by Richard England

File:Gesamtansicht Church of St Francis of Assisi, OT Qawra, 2016-11-30, ama fec.jpg|St Francis of Assisi Church in Qawra,by Richard England

Notable Maltese architects

{{incomplete list|date=August 2016}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=35em|

}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{Malta topics}}

{{Architecture of Europe}}

{{commons category|Architecture of Malta}}

Malta