Saint James Cavalier

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St. James Cavalier is Malta's Millennium Project- A Centre for Creativity. St. James, one of two Cavaliers built out of the originally projected nine, was designed by military engineer Francesco Laparelli de Cortona (see more about on the Knights of Malta) personally, who, on his departure in 1569, entrusted the continuation of his work to Maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar.

[edit] Brief History of St. James Cavalier

Faced with the continuing threat of Turkish attack and the weaknesses caused by the Great Siege of Malta (1565), the Knights of Malta had to decide whether to abandon the island, or attempt its restoration.

Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette preferred to stay and ask for aid, which promptly arrived from several quarters, most notably Pope Pius V, who sent not only financial assistance but also the famed military engineer Francesco Laparelli de Cortona. It is Laparelli who masterminded the plan of Valletta as we see it today.

On his departure in 1569 Laparelli entrusted the continuation of his work to Maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar.

St. James was built to act as a raised platform on which guns were placed to defend the city against attacks from the land (Floriana) side. As well as prohibiting entry, St. James could also threaten those who had already breached the city's defences.

Despite the impression of size given by the external aspect of the building, half of the structure was filled with compressed earth and the rest consisted of series of sparse chambers and a ramp by which canons could reach the roof.

Architecturally it was not designed to rival the more sophisticated Auberges but as a utilitarian, no-nonsense solution to a straightforward defensive problem.

[edit] The British Period

As the function changed, so did the design. Upon their arrival, the British converted St. James into an officers' mess, later utilising its raised position to provide water storage for the city of Valletta. Water was pumped to the two cisterns via the Wignacourt aqueduct, thus solving a major problem of the Maltese islands.

Also during this period, the ramp leading to the roof was replaced by a staircase and the number of rooms was increased by serving the ground floor room with arched ceilings, creating two stories where there had been only one. Changes were also made to help combat humidity.

Finally, during the latter part of British rule, St. James was turned into a food store, known as the NAAFI.

[edit] The Centre for Creativity- Malta's Millennium Project

Once more St. James has performed a startling transformation; an edifice once designed to prohibit entry now welcomes visitors. The task of affecting this tremendous change was given to Prof. Richard England, one of Malta's best known architects who describes his brief as "making it possible for the building to accommodate new needs in a way that, while respecting the past, accepts the concept of change, without fear."

One of the biggest challenges that Prof. England faced was that of increasing accessibility in a building created to repel invaders. This necessitated major structural intervention and very difficult decisions about which areas should, and must, undergo such drastic intervention.

This task was carried off with great aplomb in the conversion of the two water cisterns, one into St. James' spectacular theatre space and the other into the atrium. A stunning, inufying space which provides access to the upper galleries. the design nonetheless incorporate glass panels and a marvelous awareness of space that allows the visitor to read the historical narrative told by the wells.

The work was carried out in collaboration with the restoration expert Michael Ellul. With and emphasis that firmly discouraged the use of replica and imitation. Hence anything that looks 16th century is 16th century and anything that looks contemporary is contemporary.

This theme is particularly obvious on the ground floor. In the Music Room, the British-installed ceiling has been removed, and the room restored to its original state. The girt shop, on the other hand, is split. In other halls partial removal of the ceiling has allowed both periods to be represented in this modern interpretation of a deeply historical building.

The restoration of St. James Cavalier as only the first phase of a much larger project which aims to radically change entrance to Valletta. In the subsequent phase St. James will join forces with and 800 seat theatre to be built on the site of the old Opera House. Together they will function as a single building.

You can find out what is happening at St James Cavalier by visiting their website at [1]. You can even subscribe to their weekly newsletter