Auberge d'Auvergne
{{about|the Auberge in Valletta|the one in Birgu|Auberge d'Auvergne et Provence}}
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{{use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Auberge d'Auvergne
| native_name = Berġa ta' Alvernja
| native_name_lang = mt
| image = 300px
| image_caption = View of Auberge d'Auvergne and Casa Caccia
| coordinates = {{coord|35|53|53.7|N|14|30|44.2|E|display=inline}}
| status = Destroyed
| building_type = Auberge
| architectural_style = Mannerist
| start_date = 1571 or 1574
| completion_date = {{circa}} 1583
| renovation_date = 1783 (enlarged)
1853 (alterations)
| destruction_date = 30 April 1941 (bombed)
1950s–60s (ruins demolished)
| material = Limestone
| floor_count = 2
| architect = Girolamo Cassar
}}
The Auberge d'Auvergne ({{langx|mt|Berġa ta' Alvernja}}) was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Auvergne. It became a courthouse in the 19th century, and it remained so until it was destroyed by aerial bombardment in 1941. The site is now occupied by the Courts of Justice building, which was constructed in the 1960s.
History
Auberge d'Auvergne was located in Great Siege Square within Strada San Giorgio (now known as Republic Street), facing the nave of St. John's Co-Cathedral. The langue of Auvergne received the authorization to construct the auberge on 8 June 1570, and construction started either in 1571 or 1574. It was completed in around 1583, and the building was constructed to a design of the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar.{{cite web|title=The Courts|url=http://judiciarymalta.gov.mt/the-courts|website=The Judiciary of Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106133921/http://judiciarymalta.gov.mt/the-courts|archive-date=6 January 2015}} Auberge d'Auvergne was enlarged in 1783, when part of an adjacent 16th-century palace called Casa Caccia was incorporated into the building.{{cite journal|last1=Denaro |first1=Victor F. |title=Houses in Kingsway and Old Bakery Street, Valletta |journal=Melita Historica |date=1959 |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=203–204 |url=http://mhs.eu.pn/mh/19591.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117014317/http://mhs.eu.pn/mh/19591.html |archive-date=17 November 2015 }}{{cite web|title=The Auberge d'Auvergne|url=https://www.angelfire.com/ma/maltarchitecture/auvergne.html|website=Angelfire|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801153706/http://www.angelfire.com/ma/maltarchitecture/auvergne.html|archive-date=1 August 2015}} The auberge continued to house the langue of Auvergne until 1798, when the Order left Malta due to the French occupation.
{{multiple image|direction=vertical|align=left|width=220
|image2=Malta Valletta BW 2011-10-07 10-41-05.JPG|caption2=The site of the auberge is now occupied by the Courts of Justice building}}
In the 19th century it started to be used as for tribunals and court cases, and became at some point it became known as the "Palace of the Courts of Justice".1853 ordinance VI, updated by 1854 ordinance I. {{cite book|author=Malta Police Force|date=1857|title=Civil Establishment of Malta - For the Year 1856|publisher=Blue Books|chapter=Civil Establishment|chapter-url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Historical_Statistics/Malta_Blue_Books/Documents/1855/1855_chapter12.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622224126/https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Historical_Statistics/Malta_Blue_Books/Documents/1855/1855_chapter12.pdf|archive-date=22 June 2019|pages=79, 190}} From 1825 onwards, the auberge housed the Tribunale di Pirateria and the Corte di Fallimento, while Governor Sir Henry Bouverie moved the Civil Courts from the Castellania to Auberge d'Auvergne in 1840.{{cite journal|last1=Cauchi|first1=Jacqueline Azzopardi|last2=Knepper|first2=Paul|title=The Empire, the police, and the introduction of fingerprint technology in Malta|journal=Criminology & Criminal Justice|volume=9|issue=1|page=78|date=1 February 2009|publisher=Sage|location=London|doi=10.1177/1748895808099181|citeseerx=10.1.1.896.3771|s2cid=146525063|issn=1748-8958|oclc=746934116}} The courts of criminal jurisdiction and the office of Police were also moved to the auberge in 1853, and a number of alterations were made to the building under the direction of Superintendent of Government Works William Lamb Arrowsmith.{{cite news|last1=Ganado|first1=Albert|title=Law Courts in Valletta|work=Times of Malta|date=28 March 1966|pages=39–40}} In 1886 an earthquake caused significant damage to the building, rendering it partially unsafe.{{cite journal|url=http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/viewFile/3053/3096 |title=Seismic history of the Maltese islands and considerations on seismic risk: Earthquakes in Malta |last=Galea |first=Pauline |year=2007 |journal=Annals of Geophysics |volume=50|issue=6|page=734}}
The ground floor of the building was occupied by a number of shops, and in the early 20th century part of it housed the Alhambra Cinema.{{cite news|last1=Cini|first1=George|title=Let's go to the movies|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110805/life-features/Let-s-go-to-the-movies.378894|work=Times of Malta|date=5 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125182316/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110805/life-features/Let-s-go-to-the-movies.378894|archive-date=25 January 2016}} The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925 together with the other auberges in Valletta.{{cite web|title=Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939. |url=https://www.mepa.org.mt/file.aspx?f=2627 |website=Malta Environment and Planning Authority |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419101304/https://www.mepa.org.mt/file.aspx?f=2627 |archive-date=19 April 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy }} On 23 May 1930, an assassination attempt occurred in the auberge, when Ġanni Miller fired three shots at Prime Minister Lord Strickland.{{cite news|last1=Attard|first1=Eddie|title=1930 attempt on Lord Strickland's life|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120610/life-features/1930-attempt-on-Lord-Strickland-s-life.423678|work=Times of Malta|date=10 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922034044/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120610/life-features/1930-attempt-on-Lord-Strickland-s-life.423678|archive-date=22 September 2012}}
File:Balzan Malta place 15.jpg{{cite web|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/44652/1/5.pdf |title=Info |publisher=www.um.edu.mt |access-date=2020-01-29}}]]
On 30 April 1941, during World War II, the auberge and the adjacent Casa Caccia were hit by a German parachute mine, and they were severely damaged. The law courts subsequently moved to another location outside Valletta, in Balzan at Palazzo Testaferrata and at a seminary in Floriana,{{cite journal|last=Testone |first=Aldo |date=September 2010 |volume=36 |issue=3 |publisher=Routledge |title=The Courts of Justice of Malta |issn=0305-0718 |doi=10.1080/03050718.2010.500839 |oclc=1799322 |journal=Commonwealth Law Bulletin |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/commwlb36&div=47&id=&page= |pages=469–478 |s2cid=144426149 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218041547/http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals%2Fcommwlb36&div=47&id=&page= |archive-date=18 December 2016 |url-status=dead }}[https://localgovernment.gov.mt/en/lc/Balzan/Pages/Locality/Places-of-Interest.aspx Balzan Local Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801004156/https://localgovernment.gov.mt/en/lc/Balzan/Pages/Locality/Places-of-Interest.aspx |date=1 August 2018 }}. but in 1943 they returned to the part of the auberge which was still standing. They remained there until 1956, when the premises had to be vacated due to their dilapidated state. From 1956, the Magistrates' Court was situated at Casa Brunet at 107 Old Bakery Street.{{cite news|last=Bonniċi|first=Arthur|date=4 March 1978|title=Inkomplu bit-tibdil fil-Belt|newspaper=Leħen is-Sewwa|page=7|language=mt|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/51396/1/Lehen%20is-Sewwa_1978_03_04_Bonnici_Arturo_Inkomplu%20bit-tibdil%20fil-Belt%20%283%29.pdf}}{{cite journal|title=Houses Of The French Knights In Valletta|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/11098/Houses%20of%20the%20French%20Knights%20in%20Valletta.PDF?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|page=153}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
The ruins were subsequently demolished,{{cite book|last1=Bonnici|first1=Joseph|last2=Cassar|first2=Michael|title=A Chronicle of Twentieth Century Malta|date=2004|publisher=Book Distributors Limited|location=Malta|isbn=9789990972276|page=308|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b4ZoAAAAMAAJ&q=Auberge+d%27Auvergne}} and a new courthouse with a neoclassical design began to be built on the site on 5 May 1965. It was inaugurated on 9 January 1971. The site of the portico is scheduled at grade 3, according to a 2006 decision, as some remains of the auberge may remain below ground.{{cite web|title=Replacemen and Restoration of the Portico Column Bases at the Courts of Justice, Valletta|publisher=Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government|url=https://mjcl.gov.mt/en/ministry/tenders/Documents/DSS672012_1_PorticoColumnBases.pdf|volume=5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224174623/https://mjcl.gov.mt/en/ministry/tenders/Documents/DSS672012_1_PorticoColumnBases.pdf|date=2012|archive-date=24 December 2016|page=59 (2)}}
Architecture
Auberge d'Auvergne was built in the Mannerist style, typical of its architect Girolamo Cassar. The building originally had a square plan with a central courtyard, and it had a somewhat plain façade{{cite book|last1=Badger|first1=George Percy|title=Description of Malta and Gozo|date=1838|publisher=M. Weiss|location=Malta|page=150|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdENAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA150}} containing an ornate doorway flanked by three windows on either side. The quoins of the building had rustications similar to those found at Auberge d'Aragon.
After the 1783 enlargement, three further windows were added on the left side of the building, and its façade was no longer symmetrical.
Further reading
- {{cite journal|journal=Archivio Storico di Malta |last=Darmanin Demajo |first=G. |date=1931 |title=L'Albergia della Lingua d'Alvernia e la capella d'Alvernia in S. Giovanni |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Archivio%20storico%20di%20Malta/ASM.02(1931)4(Luglio.-Dic)/02%20L'Albergia%20d'Alvernia%20e%20la%20capella%20d'Alvernia%20in%20S.%20Giovanni%20di%20G.%20Darmanin%20Demajo.%20ASM.02(1931)04(Lugl.-Dic.201-209).pdf |volume=2 |issue=4 |language=it |pages=206–207 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326205946/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Archivio%20storico%20di%20Malta/ASM.02%281931%294%28Luglio.-Dic%29/02%20L%27Albergia%20d%27Alvernia%20e%20la%20capella%20d%27Alvernia%20in%20S.%20Giovanni%20di%20G.%20Darmanin%20Demajo.%20ASM.02%281931%2904%28Lugl.-Dic.201-209%29.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2017 |url-status=dead }}
References
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{{Auberges}}
{{Valletta}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Valletta
Category:Mannerist architecture in Malta
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1583
Category:Buildings and structures in Malta destroyed during World War II
Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1941