Villa Cagliares, also referred to as It-Tempju in Maltese,[1] is a baroque country villa in Żejtun, Malta.[2] It was built in the seventeenth century as a country villa and hunting lodge by BishopBaldassare Cagliares.[3] The mansion is set at the edge of Ħajt il-Wied valley, and it houses a chapel, a formal garden with a front court, and a number of unique architectural features. This villa is scheduled as a Grade 1 property by the Planning Authority.[4]
The villa was completely restored by its present owners and serves as a private residence.[3] In 2008, the restoration project of Villa Cagliares was awarded the Prix d'Honneur Conservation and Re-use by Din l-Art Ħelwa.[5] The building is an important landmark in the surrounding farmland and countryside. Its small dome roofing the private chapel and surrounded by balustrades marks the skyline across the valley towards Ħaż-Żabbar.
Villa Cagliares stands at the edge of the town of Żejtun, in an area referred to by locals as ir-raħal t'isfel, or the lower village. While the exact date the villa was built is unknown, historians surmise it was built in the early seventeenth century when Cagliares was already a bishop. This is based on a date found on a doorway, which shows that the building was under construction around 1620. The areas around Żejtun were still subject to intermittent raids and attacks. The closeness of the area to the coast may have contributed to the villa's austere appearance.[3] The ground floor had few windows and openings, and the ones in place acted as musket slits. On the upper part, the façade has a coat of arms - belonging to the Testaferrata family - carved in stone. A similar coat of arms is carved on a fountain in the main garden of the villa. Over time, the villa changed ownership and passed to the Testaferrata family, who oversaw the enlargement of the building.[3]
This austere character means the building lacks the architectural elegance of noblemen's palaces. The villa was enlarged in the eighteenth century with the building of a number of structures at both ground and first floor level. The most important addition was a chapel, complete with dome and lantern. The chapel was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.[6] It may have been designed by Andrea Belli, as it is similar in style to other works by this architect. If not for the chapel's dome, surmounted by balustrades, the villa would be easily mistaken for a rustic farmhouse. This first floor contains a typical piano nobile with three-centred arches and large rooms with high ceilings.[3]
Vella (1927) also referred to another coat of arms belonging to Bishop Cagliares. This was to be found on a door leading to the villa's courtyard. However, at some point in time, this family crest disappeared or was lost. The first floor has a number of large windows - contrasting with the lack of openings at ground floor level. Vella also describes the inside of the building, which by his time had long since been abandoned: "There are a number of large rooms in this villa, a chapel which is decorated with stone carvings (serving as a fodder store) and a number of prison cells."[7]
Later history and restorationedit
The restored chapel dome of Villa Cagliares.
By 2000, the country villa was in a state of advanced disrepair. The building was in a state of collapse, and was used as a farmhouse. The baroque front court was overrun with chickens, a donkey and goats, as were other rooms downstairs. Access to the higher floors was limited by a single external staircase. All windows were shuttered. Two large arched rooms upstairs had partly collapsed, with buckled floors and the baroque chapel still used as a store for hay.[8] The present owners found the chapel in exactly the same condition as described by Vella in the 1920s.[7] The building had been partly abandoned for many years without being repaired: most of the walls were buckling outwards, timber beams were rotten and stone ceiling slabs (xorok) had either fallen or cracked through.
The villa was restored between 2001 and 2005.[8] The four year project included the complete restoration of the structure, as well as external landscaping works. The restoration consolidated the existing fabric of the building, led to the dismantling and rebuilding of an unstable wing of the villa, the construction of an internal staircase and the modernisation of the building for modern living purposes.[8] As the fundamental guiding principle of the restoration project was to retain the original character of the building, only one new aperture was added at ground floor level.[3] The Testaferrata family crest on the main façade was restored, while a new Cagliares family coat of arms - mentioned by Vella (1927) - was commissioned and reinstated on the main door to the courtyard.[7] The interior of the dome, chapel sculptures and carvings were also restored.[7] The current owners sometimes grant access to the villa for cultural and historical tours by local cultural organisations.[9]
Galleryedit
Main approach to the Villa.
Cagliares coat-of-arms above courtyard entrance.
The Mannerist building.
Notesedit
^"Villa Cagliares". Żejtun Local Council. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
^"Places of Interest". localgovernment.com.mt. from the original on 2018-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
^ abcdefMifsud, Maria (2008-11-23). "Restoring old buildings". Times of Malta. from the original on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
^ abc"AP Valletta / Villa Cagliares". AP Valletta. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
^Abela, Ruben (April 2002). "Wirt iż-Żejtun" (PDF). Vigilo - Din l-Art Ħelwa. 41: 44–45 – via dinlarthelwa.org.
Referencesedit
E.B.Vella, (1927). "L-Istorja taż-Żejtun u M’Xlokk," Empire Press.
January 01, 1970
villa, cagliares, Żejtun, villa, cagliares, also, referred, tempju, maltese, baroque, country, villa, Żejtun, malta, built, seventeenth, century, country, villa, hunting, lodge, bishop, baldassare, cagliares, mansion, edge, Ħajt, wied, valley, houses, chapel, . Villa Cagliares also referred to as It Tempju in Maltese 1 is a baroque country villa in Zejtun Malta 2 It was built in the seventeenth century as a country villa and hunting lodge by Bishop Baldassare Cagliares 3 The mansion is set at the edge of Ħajt il Wied valley and it houses a chapel a formal garden with a front court and a number of unique architectural features This villa is scheduled as a Grade 1 property by the Planning Authority 4 Villa CagliaresIt TempjuVilla Cagliares after restorationGeneral informationStatusIntactTypeCountry villaArchitectural styleManneristSpanish Baroque chapelLocationZejtun MaltaCoordinates35 51 34 N 14 32 11 E 35 85944 N 14 53639 E 35 85944 14 53639Current tenantsPrivate residenceCompletedc 1620Technical detailsMaterialLimestoneFloor count2Renovating teamArchitect s Andrea Belli chapel attribution The villa was completely restored by its present owners and serves as a private residence 3 In 2008 the restoration project of Villa Cagliares was awarded the Prix d Honneur Conservation and Re use by Din l Art Ħelwa 5 The building is an important landmark in the surrounding farmland and countryside Its small dome roofing the private chapel and surrounded by balustrades marks the skyline across the valley towards Ħaz Zabbar Contents 1 Early history and interior 2 Later history and restoration 3 Gallery 4 Notes 5 ReferencesEarly history and interior editVilla Cagliares stands at the edge of the town of Zejtun in an area referred to by locals as ir raħal t isfel or the lower village While the exact date the villa was built is unknown historians surmise it was built in the early seventeenth century when Cagliares was already a bishop This is based on a date found on a doorway which shows that the building was under construction around 1620 The areas around Zejtun were still subject to intermittent raids and attacks The closeness of the area to the coast may have contributed to the villa s austere appearance 3 The ground floor had few windows and openings and the ones in place acted as musket slits On the upper part the facade has a coat of arms belonging to the Testaferrata family carved in stone A similar coat of arms is carved on a fountain in the main garden of the villa Over time the villa changed ownership and passed to the Testaferrata family who oversaw the enlargement of the building 3 This austere character means the building lacks the architectural elegance of noblemen s palaces The villa was enlarged in the eighteenth century with the building of a number of structures at both ground and first floor level The most important addition was a chapel complete with dome and lantern The chapel was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception 6 It may have been designed by Andrea Belli as it is similar in style to other works by this architect If not for the chapel s dome surmounted by balustrades the villa would be easily mistaken for a rustic farmhouse This first floor contains a typical piano nobile with three centred arches and large rooms with high ceilings 3 Vella 1927 also referred to another coat of arms belonging to Bishop Cagliares This was to be found on a door leading to the villa s courtyard However at some point in time this family crest disappeared or was lost The first floor has a number of large windows contrasting with the lack of openings at ground floor level Vella also describes the inside of the building which by his time had long since been abandoned There are a number of large rooms in this villa a chapel which is decorated with stone carvings serving as a fodder store and a number of prison cells 7 Later history and restoration edit nbsp The restored chapel dome of Villa Cagliares By 2000 the country villa was in a state of advanced disrepair The building was in a state of collapse and was used as a farmhouse The baroque front court was overrun with chickens a donkey and goats as were other rooms downstairs Access to the higher floors was limited by a single external staircase All windows were shuttered Two large arched rooms upstairs had partly collapsed with buckled floors and the baroque chapel still used as a store for hay 8 The present owners found the chapel in exactly the same condition as described by Vella in the 1920s 7 The building had been partly abandoned for many years without being repaired most of the walls were buckling outwards timber beams were rotten and stone ceiling slabs xorok had either fallen or cracked through The villa was restored between 2001 and 2005 8 The four year project included the complete restoration of the structure as well as external landscaping works The restoration consolidated the existing fabric of the building led to the dismantling and rebuilding of an unstable wing of the villa the construction of an internal staircase and the modernisation of the building for modern living purposes 8 As the fundamental guiding principle of the restoration project was to retain the original character of the building only one new aperture was added at ground floor level 3 The Testaferrata family crest on the main facade was restored while a new Cagliares family coat of arms mentioned by Vella 1927 was commissioned and reinstated on the main door to the courtyard 7 The interior of the dome chapel sculptures and carvings were also restored 7 The current owners sometimes grant access to the villa for cultural and historical tours by local cultural organisations 9 Gallery edit nbsp Main approach to the Villa nbsp Cagliares coat of arms above courtyard entrance nbsp The Mannerist building Notes edit Villa Cagliares Zejtun Local Council Retrieved 2019 01 25 Places of Interest localgovernment com mt Archived from the original on 2018 01 14 Retrieved 2019 01 25 a b c d e f Mifsud Maria 2008 11 23 Restoring old buildings Times of Malta Archived from the original on 2018 01 05 Retrieved 2019 01 25 Villa Cagliares Plakkastorja Retrieved 2019 01 25 The DLĦ Awards for Architectural Heritage A retrospective 2005 2015 Din l Art Ħelwa 2016 04 25 Retrieved 2019 01 25 Zejtun malta canada com Archived from the original on 2018 04 16 Retrieved 2019 01 25 a b c d Villa Cagliares Wirt iz Zejtun Retrieved 2019 01 25 a b c AP Valletta Villa Cagliares AP Valletta Retrieved 2019 01 25 Abela Ruben April 2002 Wirt iz Zejtun PDF Vigilo Din l Art Ħelwa 41 44 45 via dinlarthelwa org References editE B Vella 1927 L Istorja taz Zejtun u M Xlokk Empire Press Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Villa Cagliares Zejtun amp oldid 1210108979, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
