Spinola Palace, Maltese palace
Spinola Palace is a baroque structure in St. Julian's with three stories and ornate limestone facades. The most striking feature is a large clock set in the center of the front facade, surrounded by decorative stonework and detailed carvings.
The palace was built in 1688 for Fra Paolo Raffaele Spinola and enlarged in 1733 by his nephew Fra Giovanni Battista Spinola. It served as Forrest Hospital from 1860 to 1922, then as a World War II shelter, and most recently as headquarters for a parliamentary assembly from 2007 to 2021.
The palace takes its name from the Spinola family, who were influential nobles on Malta for generations. The building shows how social purposes shifted over time, from a private residence to a public hospital and later government use.
The building is easily visible from St. George's Road but was closed to the public for many years. Today, visitors can access the cellar, which houses a restaurant, and the front garden is open during certain times.
The clock tower on the front facade was the first of its kind on Malta, as it was placed on a secular building rather than a church or religious structure. After years of being missing, the clock was carefully restored and rebuilt to match its original design in 2012.
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