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Auberge de Castille et Portugal

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Auberge de Castille et Portugal
Berġa ta' Kastilja u Portugall
Remains of the Auberge de Castille et Portugal
Map
General information
StatusIntact but altered
TypeAuberge
Architectural styleMelitan
LocationBirgu, Malta
AddressNo. 57–59, Hilda Tabone Street
Coordinates35°53′18.2″N 14°3′24.5″E / 35.888389°N 14.056806°E / 35.888389; 14.056806
Completedc. 1550s
OwnerPrivate
Technical details
MaterialLimestone
Design and construction
Architect(s)Niccolò Bellavante

The Auberge de Castille et Portugal (Maltese: Berġa ta' Kastilja u Portugall) was an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Castille, León and Portugal.

A plaque on the building gives details about the Auberge

The first Auberge de Castille, which was known as the vecchia alberghia di Castiglia, was built in the 1530s. Its exact location is not known and no remains have survived of this first auberge. A second auberge was built in Barrack Front Street (now Hilda Tabone Street) during the magistracy of Grand Master Claude de la Sengle. This auberge was designed by the architect Niccolò Bellavante in the traditional Maltese style, and it housed the langue until the building of a new Auberge de Castille in Valletta in 1574. The building still exists, but it has been heavily altered over time, and only a quoin and some windows with Melitan mouldings remain of the original auberge.[1] The building is privately owned.[2]

The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, together with the other auberges in Birgu.[3] It was scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument on 22 December 2009,[1] and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[4]

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Auberge de Castille et Portugal (Leon)". Times of Malta. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  2. ^ Zahra, Lorenzo A. "The Spanish Langues and Auberges of the Order in Birgu" (PDF). Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society. Veritas Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Auberge de Castille et Portugal (leon)" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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