Auberge de Bavière
| Auberge de Bavière | |
|---|---|
| Berġa tal-Baviera | |
View of Auberge de Bavière
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| Former names | Palazzo Carniero |
| General information | |
| Status | Intact |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Mannerism |
| Location | Valletta, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°54′5.5″N 14°30′51.1″E / 35.901528°N 14.514194°E |
| Current tenants | Government Property Department |
| Completed | 1696 |
| Client | Gaspare Carniero |
| Owner | Government of Malta |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Carlo Gimach |
The Auberge de Bavière (Maltese: Berġa tal-Baviera) is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built as Palazzo Carniero in 1696, and it was the residence of Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari in the early 18th century. In 1784, it was converted into the auberge for the Anglo-Bavarian langue of the Order of Saint John, and it remained so until the French occupation of Malta in 1798.
It was used by the British military in the 19th and early 20th centuries, briefly housing a military hospital in World War I. It was subsequently used as a school, a hostel for bombed-out people in World War II, and it was also used by a number of government agencies. Since 1997, it has been the main offices of the Government Property Department.
The palace is located in the northern part of Valletta, near the English Curtain and the Jews' Sally Port. It overlooks St. Elmo Bay and the entrance of Marsamxett Harbour. The surrounding neighbourhood is popularly known as il-Baviera after the auberge.
Palazzo Carniero was built in 1696 by the Portuguese Balì Fra Gaspare Carniero on a site where a lime kiln had stood. The building was designed by the Maltese architect Carlo Gimach, who was a personal friend of Carniero. The building was one of the last examples of austere and staid architecture in the 17th century, before the much more ornate Baroque style became more popular.
The site was rented for 31 scudi per year for the term of his life and that of one other person nominated by him, and thereafter reverted to the common treasury. The palace was the residence of Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari from 1702 until his death in 1722. In 1725 Grand Master de Vilhena was symbolically given a sword and a hat, known officially as 'stoc' and 'piliet', similar to other heads of European powers by Pope Benedict XII. For this occasion on 19 April 1725 the papacy sent its Papal Legate, Monsignior Giovanni Francesco Abbate Olivieri. The Grand Master made large ceremonies for this occasion, and embellished Palazzo Carniero with the finest settings to receive the Papal Legate.
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Wikipedia