Palazzo Castellania

Kastellanija means the Tribunal or Court.

It was Manuel Pinto de Fonseca, the Portuguese Grand Master of the Order of St. John (17411773) who took the initiative to build this palace to serve as Criminal and Civil Court. The works
started in 1757 to be completed 3 years later.
At first, the architect was Francesco Zerafa, after he died, the work was continued by
Guiuseppe Bonnici.

Faade is in the prevailing Baroque style of the period. Marble centre piece extends the full
length of the faade. On the top we see some marble sculptures: on the left is Justice with the
sword and scales (now missing). On the right is Truth with a mirror in one hand and killing a
serpent with the other. Between these figures there is an empty space, which might have
originally contained the bust of Grandmaster Pinto.
Looking up we also see a winged woman blowing a trumpet (Fame) and holding laurel wreath in
the other hand (Victory and Glory). On the other side there is a putto, pointing to an empty space
(probably this had Pintos coat-of-arms).
The sculptor was Italian Maestro Gianni: criminal, who was found guilty of abducting a girl in
Italty. He was accused of killing a fellow inmate in Malta (although guilt was not proven) and he
was tortured and hung in 1760 ironically the first person sentenced to death in Castellania.
During the French occupation the Castellania continued to function but with some changes
inspired by the French Revolution.
During the British period the Castellania continued to perform legislative duties but was
restricted in its function due to a limited space. The Court had then been transferred to the
Auberge d Auvergene. In 1853 the Castellania was completely abandoned.
In 1895, with the establishment of the Department of Public Health, it became the head office of
Health, and still has a link to Health nowadays as it is the Ministry of Health (since 1921).
From the inner courtyard on the ground floor we can enter the room that has the remnants of the
chapel (only one wall has survived). It was dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. People

who were condemned to death spent here the last few days before the execution in the company
of priests to prepare themselves for afterlife.
The most impressive room in the building is the Main Hall (previously the Criminal Hall). The
Hall is relatively simple, wooden walls hold massive beams. Since this hosted the Criminal
Court, Baroque decorations were not appropriate.
An interesting feature is the painted frieze with 105 coat of arms of Castellans serving from
1609-1798. These paintings were hidden under a coat of white-wash until 1905 and discovered
by Dr. T. Zammit when he was restoring the room. He immediately took measures for the
preservation of these paintings. White washing was done either by the French or by the British.
Some coat of arms were covered by a protective layer of tissue paper before white washing.
Castellania also hosts the lab where Sir Temi Zammit and Sir David Bruce discovered the virus
of Brucellosis better known as undulated fever or Maltese fever or Mediterranean fever.
Brucellosis in humans is usually associated with the consumption of unpasteurised milk and soft
cheeses made from the milk of infected animals, primarily goats.
Temi Zammit represented the Government Commission on Maltese Fever. The original
laboratory was small, only intended for 6 researchers, who were sharing the space with a number
of the test animals, including monkeys.
Interestingly, research would stop in summer because of the heat, and several foreign researchers
would complain about it, even in writing! (Sir David Bruce)
This Commission made great achievements for the entire Mediterranean and in less than 30 years
the Maltese fever had been eliminated from the Mediterranean.
Castellania also served as a prison. In these damp and dark cells one can see a number of
authentic graffiti of those times which testify the sadness suffered by the prisoners. Famous
prisoners include A.M. Vassalli and Mannarinu.
Occasionally prisoners were tortured and the main types of torture used were cavalletto and
corda. Cavaletto meant placing the accused on a sort of wooden horse with a sharp back with
weights attached to his feet.. This torment lasted up to 12 hours. Corda was a more painful
procedure. The hands of the accused were tied behind his back. He was then lifted up and then
dropped suddenly to a short distance from the ground. These jerks caused the dislocation of
arms. Corda was used not for more than 1 hour. Sometimes these two methods were combined.
Torture was formally abolished in 1814 and prisons were closed down in 1853.