Girolamo Cassar

Girolamo Cassar
Born	c.1520 Birgu, Malta, Kingdom of Sicily
Died	between 1586 and 1592 (aged c.66-72) probably Valletta
Nationality	Maltese
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Various buildings in Valletta, including Saint John's Co-Cathedral, the Grandmaster's Palace and the Auberges

Girolamo Cassar, also known as Ġlormu Cassar, was a Maltese architect who designed many buildings in the capital Valletta.

Life

Cassar was born around 1520 in Birgu to a Sicilian family who had lived in the Maltese islands since around 1440. He was a military engineer during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and he helped repair some of the fortifications of Birgu and Senglea.

Cassar became assistant to Francesco Laparelli in the building of Valletta and helped him design some of the fortifications. He took over following Laparelli's departure from Malta in 1569 (and his death a year later). Since Cassar had only designed military architecture before, he briefly went to study in Italy where he learnt about mannerist architecture. He returned to Malta within a year and he began to design various buildings.

Among the buildings he designed in Valletta there were:

• Grandmaster's Palace - redesigned multiple times
• Auberge d'Aragon
• Auberge de Castille - redesigned 1745
• Auberge de Provence - redesigned 1638
• Auberge d'Allemagne - demolished 1839
• Saint John's Co-Cathedral
• Auberge d'Italie - redesigned 1680s
• Auberge d'Auvergne - destroyed 1941
• Auberge de France - destroyed 1942

Since most of these were later renovated, very few of the original designs by Cassar remain. In some cases such as Auberge de Castille, the new Auberge was completely rebuilt and the building was completely different from the original design. The only surviving structures in Valletta which are still his original designs are Auberge d'Aragon and the exterior of Saint John's Co-Cathedral (the interior was completely redesigned in the 18th century).

He also designed various churches, the bakery, the mills and some private palaces and houses in Valletta, some churches in Rabat and Verdala Palace. Other buildings such as the Sacra Infermeria might have also been designed by Cassar although no actual documents or plans survive about these.