Dom Mintoff's Tarxien home has been listed as a Grade 1 building, effectively granting it Malta's highest level of planning protection.

The former Prime Minister's detached villa, which he designed himself, is built in a modernist style and is characterised by a reinterpretation of traditional Maltese elements.

It is surrounded by sizeable grounds and carries a number of architectural details with a number of high moulded pilasters with finials and rusticated wall planes.

In a statement, the Planning Authority said that it had scheduled the building both for its architectural value as well as for its historical, political and social significance. 

Mr Mintoff lived in the villa, which fronts Triq Xintill and Triq Joanne Garden, right up to his death in August 2012. 

Dar il-Kejka.

An adjacent free-standing vernacular building, known as Dar tal-Kejka, has also been scheduled as a Grade 1 building in view of its architectural and historical value.

The site was originally acquired by Guzeppi Abela, a wealthy local benefactor, who initially planned to build a Capuchin convent on the site. The two elaborate niches on the eastern and southern facade clearly point to the use of the building for religious purposes.

Also known as 'The Hermit's Monastery', the interior of the building has some interesting features including the stone corbels that are decorated with floral motifs. The building is today used by the local council as a cultural centre and by the Tarxien Scouts Group as their official premises.