Auberge de Castille

Grandest Knights' auberge, now Malta's Prime Minister's office

The Auberge de Castille, León and Portugal is the grandest of the surviving auberges of the Knights of St John in Valletta, and it now serves as the office of the Prime Minister of Malta. The current building dates from 1744, when it was rebuilt in the Baroque style under Grand Master Pinto de Fonseca, whose coat of arms adorns the elaborate facade. The building stands at the high point of Valletta near Castile Square, with the facade oriented toward Merchants Street below.

The interior is not open to public visits as it is an active government building, but the exterior facade is one of the finest pieces of Baroque architecture in Malta. The square in front of it, Castile Square, is a good vantage point for the harbour on the south side of Valletta and for views down Merchants Street toward Fort St Elmo.

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A story
The auberge system divided the Knights of St John into "langues" — tongues — based on their national origin. Each langue had its own auberge in Valletta where knights of that nationality lived, ate, and held their internal assemblies. Of the original eight langues, seven auberges survive in various states of preservation. The Auberge de Castille, for Spanish and Portuguese knights, was the most prestigious because it housed the Grand Master and still does — as the Prime Minister's office.

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