Spinola Palace, Valletta

Spinola Palace (Maltese: Palazz ta' Spinola; Italian: Palazzo Spinola), also known as Spinola House, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It belonged to the Spinola family between the 17th and 18th centuries. One third of the building was demolished in the 20th century, but the remaining two wings still exist and are now used as the head office of Lombard Bank.

This article is about the palace in Valletta, Malta. For the Spinola Palace in St. Julian's, see Spinola Palace (St. Julian's). For other uses, see Palazzo Spinola.
Spinola Palace
Palazz ta' Spinola
Palazzo Spinola on Republic Street
Alternative namesPalazzo Spinola
General information
StatusPartially intact
TypePalace
Architectural styleBaroque
LocationValletta, Malta
Coordinates35°53′58.2″N 14°30′53.2″E
Completed17th century
OwnerLombard Bank Malta PLC
Technical details
MaterialLimestone

History

The palace originally belonged to Fra Giovanni de Villaroel, the Balì of Noveville. In 1660, the palace was transferred to Fra Paolo Raffaele Spinola, the Balì of Lombardy, who later built another Spinola Palace in St. Julian's. In the 1720s, the Italian artist Nicolau Nasoni painted frescoes on the palace's ceiling.[1] The palace remained in the hands of the Spinola family until 1780.[2] Architect Romano Fortunato Carapecchia have given the palace a baroque facelift, from an austere façade, in the eighteenth century.[3]

Other wing

The palace was divided into three parts in 1922. The wing facing St. Christopher Street was demolished to make way for apartments, while the other two wings were used as private houses or offices. Lombard Bank acquired the wing facing Republic Street in the 1970s, and converted it into their head office. The wing facing St. Frederick Street was also acquired by Lombard Bank in the 2000s.[1] It has since been restored and renovated.[4]

Further reading
  • Zammit, Andrè (2010). "Valletta and Michele Cachia (1760 –1839) – A factual appraisal through his notebooks". In Joseph F. Grima (ed.). 60th anniversary of the Malta Historical Society: a commemoration. Zabbar: Veritas Press. pp. 407–432. ISBN 978-99932-0-942-3. OCLC 779340904. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017.
  • Paul Camilleri & Associates (2010), "Completed", Palazzo Spinola, pp. 8-11.
  • Menqa-morphosis
  • Focus Shifts to 2017, 2018
  • Frederick Street
  • Mysteries Of the Maltese ‘gallarija’ (2)

References
  1. "Valletta's Spinola Palace to get additional floor". Times of Malta. 7 July 2005. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015.
  2. Denaro, Victor F. (1959). "Houses in Kingsway and Old Bakery Street, Valletta". Melita Historica. 2 (4): 207. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17.
  3. Design of the portal of Spinola palace in Valletta, Malta.
  4. "A palace for an office". Times of Malta. 29 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015.
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