Istituto Tecnico Bugeja, Fleur-De-Lys, Malta, by Emmanuele Luigi Galizia

Istituto Tecnico Bugeja, designed by Emmanuele Galizia, and built in 1903 in Fleur-de-Lys, Malta. It is a Grade 2 national monument, and a good example of one of the larger institutions designed by this architect, in refined neoclassical style:

The building has a symmetrical façade with an ornate central bay, accessible through a flight of wide stairs that cross over an open passage below. The main portico projects forward on the façade and is flanked by two small windows and two sets of pilasters. The stone balcony is set within heavily ornate shell motifs, with carved panels at the side between the pilasters. Above is a pediment with dentils, the Bugeja coat-of-arms and foliage carvings. The main staircase is unique in Malta because its walls and ceiling are adorned with mural painted Art Nouveau floral motifs. ["One World"]

This was a project of the Maltese philanthropist, Marquis Vincenzo Bugeja (1820-90), who financed it in order to educate orphans in the kind of industrial crafts that would fit them for useful working lives. It is now used for the care of the disabled, but has a museum displaying the craft tools etc. of that earlier time.

Photograph by Frank Vincentz and available on the Creative Commons license from Wikipedia; it has been cropped, and corrected for perspective. Text by Jacqueline Banerjee. Click on the picture to enlarge it.]

Bibliography

"One World — Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of the Maltese islands (18)." Times of Malta, 9 July 2009. Web. 10 May 2017.


Created 9 May 2017