The fifth lecture in the Malta Libraries’ lecture series ‘Discoveries from the Past: Promoting Research Findings’ will take place on Wednesday at 6.30pm at the National Library.

This week’s lecture entitled ‘Building houses inside the Floriana fortifications: Borgo Vilhena in Malta in the Eighteenth Century’ will be delivered by Giannantonio Scaglione who currently holds the position of postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Trento and is also a lecturer at the International Erasmus Master’s programme Erasmus Mundus ‒ European Territories in History and Analysis of the Territory ‒ European territories ‒ TEMA.

The construction of the Borgo Vilhena within the fortified area of Floriana in the 18th century represents one of the most significant examples of an “empty” military space being converted into a residential area in the Mediterranean Sea.

The first attempt at urban development in Floriana was made by the Grand Master in 1672, but the plan was opposed by the commissioners of the Order because the new houses would have interfered with the military purpose of the area, which had to remain empty.

Among the main reasons which caused the Order to create a residential area within the fortified area of Floriana, at the beginning of the 18th century, was the overpopulation of ‘La Valletta’. This research, together with the many historical-architectural investigations dedicated to Valletta, widens the formal and technical scientific repertoire of studies on the production of urban spaces in Malta during the rule of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

These lectures are coordinated by Maroma Camilleri and Mevrick Spiteri and are earmarked to promote and encourage the importance of research for the educational and cultural fields. Volumes, manuscripts and additional material from the National Library of Malta collection will be showcased on the day.

Admission to all lectures in the series is free and open to the public. For any queries, e-mail: events.library@gov.mt.