Palazzo Parisio | |
---|---|
General information | |
Status | Intact |
Type | Mansion, [1] palace |
Architectural style | Art Nouveau exterior and Sicilian Baroque interior |
Location | Naxxar, Malta |
Coordinates | 35°54′53.8″N14°26′39.3″E / 35.914944°N 14.444250°E |
Named for | Parisio Muscati family (formerly for the Scicluna family) |
Completed | 1906-1907 |
Owner | Scicluna family |
Technical details | |
Material | Limestone |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Annibale Lupi [2] |
Renovating team | |
Architect(s) | Carlo Sada |
Website | |
www.palazzoparisio.com |
Palazzo Parisio, formerly known as Scicluna Palace, [1] Palazzo Scicluna, [3] and officially Palazzo Parisio and Gardens, is a 20th-century palace in Naxxar, Malta. [4] On site was a hunting lodge built in 1733 by Paolo Parisio, and was used as a summer or permanent residence, barracks and a college, before being acquired by the Marquis Scicluna in 1898.
The marquis modified the building between 1900 and 1907 with the appearance visible today. Its architecture is composed of an Art Nouveau front and back façades and a Sicilian Baroque interior. Today, Palazzo Parisio and its surrounding gardens are in good condition and are open to the public.
A hunting lodge was built on site in 1733 by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena. After his death, the building was taken over by the Order of St. John, and it eventually passed into the hands of the Parisio family, who used it as a summer residence. It eventually became the permanent residence of Paolo Parisio Muscati. [5] [6] In 1798, the hunting lodge briefly served as a barracks during the French occupation of Malta. [7] [8]
In 1856, the building passed into the hands of the Micallef family. They rented the property to the Jesuits in 1880, who used it as a college. The Jesuits made plans for purchasing the building, but the agreement was never reached and the building was acquired by Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna on 12 June 1898 for a sum of £1500. [6]
The Marquis approached architect Annibale Lupi (born 1869) to design and built on site an Art Nouveau mansion. [1] He commissioned a team of Italian architects, sculptors and painters, led by Carlo Sada (born 1855), to embellish the interior and garden with Sicilian Baroque architecture and Pompeiian art. [9] Work began in 1900, and was largely complete by 1906, when the marquis and his family moved into the palace. Scicluna died on 14 February 1907, before the refurbishment was fully completed, and his family moved back to their original residence in San Pawl tat-Tarġa. [6]
The marble were sculpted and laid by Sicilian workers in 1902, as directed by Giuseppe Valenti. [10] Among the workers were Baldassare Armato, his son Domenico Armato, Francesco Bondin and Andrea De Stefano. [11] The main ceilings' frescoes were carried by Giacomo Olzai and Filippo Fortunato Venuti, both from Rome [11] and completed by 1902. [10] Other decorators included Giulio Moschetti and Vincenzo Cardona. [9]
During the two world wars, the palace was handed over to the British Government to use it for public needs. It was also used as a R.A.F. Office, and hosted soldiers and their families. [12] [13]
In the 21st century, Marie Christianne Scicluna who partially owns the palace has taken the initiative to renovate and revive the property. [14] The palace and its gardens are now open to the public named as ‘’Palazzo Parisio and Gardens’’, and are rented for wedding venues. Two restaurants are also located within the palace. [15]
The palace is scheduled as a Grade 1 property by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, while its elevated pathway is a Grade 2. [8] It is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. [16]
Palazzo Parisio's façade contains a large doorway flanked by a column on each side. The columns support an open balcony, and the latter's doorway contains the Scicluna coat of arms. [16]
The interior is richly decorated with frescoes, statues, columns, chandeliers and other works of art. [15] The ballroom is gilded, and it is considered to be unique in Malta. [17] [18] The palace has been described as "a miniature Versailles." [19]
The palace originally had very large gardens, but their size was reduced to make way for part of the former trade fair grounds. The Italian gardens near the palace still exist, and are now a tourist attraction and wedding venue. [8]
The remaining gardens of the palace contain over 60 species of plants, including Ceiba speciosa, Erythrina crista-galli, Jacaranda and Sapindus. [20]
La Taverna Del Marchese is named after Marquis (Marchese) Giuseppe Scicluna. It is the underground of Palazzo Parisio. The tavern was designed to be a wine store, when Naxxar was largely dependent on agriculture bringing high income to farmers. The Tavern went through adaptive reuse as the Marqui opened the Tavern to the public during WWII to have shelter from air bombing. Being designed as a wine storage, unlike war shelters, the tavern is wider than usual private shelters such as the shelters at Palazzo Nasciaro.
During the war period, the shelter at Palazzo Nasciaro served as a maternity underground hospital, while the tavern at Palazzo Parisio served as a general underground hospital catering for Naxxar region and British soldiers. Similarly the Marquis opened the Dragonara Palace to be used as a hospital. Today the tavern was named in the commemoration of the Marquis. Large sections of the tavern are open to public, and some armoury are displayed in the form of a museum, while other sections are used as a kitchen for the palace's restaurants. [21] [22]
The palace was used as a filming location in a variety of movies, including Cutthroat Island and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002 film) [23]
The palace features in the music video of Olivia Lewis called 'Vertigo', that was part of the 2007 Eurovision song contest.
Other Parisio family property
António Manoel de Vilhena was a Portuguese nobleman who was the 66th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736. Unlike a number of the other Grand Masters, he was benevolent and popular with the Maltese people. Vilhena is mostly remembered for the founding of Floriana, the construction of Fort Manoel and the Manoel Theatre, and the renovation of the city of Mdina.
Naxxar is a town and local council in the Northern Region of Malta. The population in March 2014 was 14,891. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. It formerly hosted the Maltese International Trade Fair at Maltese International Trade Fair Grounds.
The Trade Fair Grounds, also known as the Trade Fairs and Exhibition Centre, is a former fairground in Naxxar, Malta. It hosted various exhibitions and fairs throughout the year, but was mostly known for being the venue for the annual Malta Trade Fair. Prior to the construction of the trade fair complex, the area had been part of the gardens of Palazzo Parisio.
This page list topics related to Malta.
Din l-Art Ħelwa is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese Judge Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Since its foundation, Din l-Art Ħelwa has restored numerous cultural sites of historic and environmental importance and currently has the guardianship of a number of them. Many of the sites are open to visitors and for events, thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers. The organisation promotes the preservation and protection of historic buildings and monuments, the character of Malta's towns and villages, and places of natural beauty. It is very active in campaigning against proposed construction which infringes planning laws or policies, and regularly objects to planning applications, taking legal action to halt development in some cases. The NGO stimulates the enforcement of existing laws and the enactment of new ones for the protection of Malta's natural and built heritage.
Palazzo Pescatore is a palace in St. Paul's Bay, Malta. It was built in the late 19th century. Its symmetrical porticoed façades of neo-classical inspiration are similar to those of Palazzo Dragonara in St. Julian's.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning on the Maltese islands of Malta, Gozo and other small islets of the Maltese archipelago. MEPA was bound to follow the regulations of the Environment Protection Act (2001) and the Development Planning Act (1992) of the Laws of Malta. The national agency was also responsible for the implementation of Directives, Decisions and Regulations under the EU Environmental Acquis as Malta is a member of the European Union, while considering other recommendations and opinion of the Union. The Authority employed over 420 government workers, from a wide range of educational backgrounds, all within their merit of profession.
Villa Francia, initially named Palazzo Francia, then named Villa Preziosi, and officially known as Palazzo Francia and Francia Estate, is an 18th-century palace in Lija, Malta. The palace was built circa 1757, by Francesco Preziosi, with baroque architecture that gave a sense of pride and power to noble people at the time. The first ambitious owner became bankrupt with the expenses of the palace, to make it an outstanding and incomparable building, and because of this he was pressured to sell his possession by the Order of St. John to pay his accumulated debts.
Spinola Palace, also known as Spinola House and Villa Spinola, is a palace in St. Julian's, Malta. It was built in the 17th century by Fra Paolo Rafel Spinola, a knight of the Order of St. John, and was enlarged in the 18th century. The later construction was designed by Romano Carapecchia, which is considered a masterpiece, with its back having an elegant clock that is a unique feature to secular Baroque architecture in Malta.
Palazzo Correa, also known as Casa Correa, Correa de Sousa Palace or Palazzo Hompesch, was a 17th-century palace in Valletta, Malta, located in Old Bakery Street. It was built on the designs to architect Carlo Gimach in the Mannerist style, the first in Valletta and very unusual to the period.
Palazzo Ferreria, officially Palazzo Buttiġieġ-Francia, is a palace found near the entrance of Valletta, the capital city of Malta. It was built in the late 19th century. Designed by architect Giuseppe Bonavia, it makes use of an interesting concept of adding local timber balconies to a design inspired from that of buildings in Italy. It is protected as a Grade 2 national monument.
Palazzo Parisio, sometimes known as Casa Parisio, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 1740s by Domenico Sceberras, and eventually passed into the hands of the Muscati and Parisio Muscati families. It was Napoleon's residence for six days in June 1798, during the early days of the French occupation of Malta. The palace was eventually acquired by the de Piro family, and was later purchased by the Government of Malta. It was used as the General Post Office from 1886 to 1973, then the Ministry for Agriculture, and it now houses the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Villa Parisio is a villa in Lija, Malta. It was built in the 16th century by the Muscati family, and eventually passed into the hands of the Parisio Muscati, de Piro and Strickland families. It is currently the seat of The Strickland Foundation, and also the home of Robert Hornyold-Strickland and his family for his lifetime. Mabel Strickland bought Villa Parisio in 1943. Whilst setting up The Strickland Foundation "for herself and her heirs in perpetuity" Mabel Strickland also left a clause that the seat of her Foundation could relocate to any other place in Malta.
Dragonara Palace, also known as Palazzo Dragonara or Villa Dragonara, is a palace in St. Julian's, Malta. It was built in 1870 as a summer residence for the Scicluna family, and it is now a casino called Dragonara Casino.
Palazzo Dorell, also known as Bettina Palace, is a 17th-century Palladian palace located in Gudja, Malta.
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Hompesch Hunting Lodge, also known as Id-Dar tal-Kaċċa, is an 18th-century hunting lodge in Naxxar, Malta. It is a traditional Maltese historic building with a vernacular architecture. The hunting lodge was built intentionally to be used as a hunting lodge for the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, namely Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim. Today the building is in a dilapidated state.
The Ġonna tal-Kmand, formerly known as Ġonna tal-Kutnent and sometimes known as Ball Gardens, are a group of gardens in various localities in Malta, which were built in the early years of the 19th century when the island was a British protectorate. The gardens were commissioned by Civil Commissioner Alexander Ball between 1802 and 1805, and were given to the Luogotenenti in charge of the towns or villages.
Balluta Buildings is an Art Nouveau apartment block overlooking Balluta Bay in St Julian's, Malta. It was built in 1928 for the Marquis John Scicluna, and it was constructed to designs of Giuseppe Psaila. The building is considered to be among the finest of the few surviving examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Malta.
The de Piro family is a Maltese noble family, of Italian origins, which settled in Malta with the Order of St John in 1530.
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