The Museum
About the museum
Casa Gourgion is a privately owned 19th-century nobleman’s home situated at the heart of Mdina, a fortified town boasting more than 4000 years of history.
Following extensive restoration, this former residence has opened its doors to the public as a house museum responsible for preserving the De Piro Gourgion history and collection whilst making this information accessible and preserving it for future generations.
FROM THE BEGINNING…
1728: Following the damage caused by the earthquake of 1693, in 1728, the Mdina Metropolitan Chapter purchases the Casa delli Navarri to demolish it and form the present-day Cathedral Square. During the same year, Giovanni Gourgion (1645-?) inherits the Gourgion primogeniture.
1733: The seminary that was housed in Palazzo Gourgion, then a very unsuitable ‘casa d’affitto’ was transferred to the site of the present-day Cathedral Musuem. It is possible that Giovanni Gourgion takes advantage of this to restore Palazzo Gourgion to its former glory.
Caption: A full ex-scholion plan of Mdina dating back to the era of the Knights of the Order of St John. Photo Courtesy – Mdina Cathedral Archives
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1889: Giuseppe De Piro Gourgion (1845-1916) sends a letter to the A.S.G. Emilio de Petri requesting Vassallo’s services outside his hours of employment with the Public Works Department. This would not be the first or last time that Vassallo would offer his architectural services to the De Piro Gourgion family, having also designed the English-style houses in Saqqajja, one of which was the property of Baron Giuseppe De Piro Gourgion himself.
Caption: A passport photograph of architect Andrea Vassallo (1856-1928) (left) who had been commissioned by Giuseppe De Piro Gourgion (1845-1916), 6th Baron of Budach (right), to erect an architectural folly at the heart of the Citta’ Notabile. Photo Courtesy: The National Archives of Malta & Casa Rocca Piccola
1886: Architect Andrea Vassallo (1856-1928) proposes to construct a house in the Cathedral square of Mdina on behalf of Giuseppino De Piro that would replace the one-storey ‘remissa’ within the garden of Palazzo Gourgion.
Caption: (Left) The first building notice and planning application submitted by Andrea Vassallo on behalf of Baron ‘Giuseppino’ De Piro Gourgion for the erection of Casa Gourgion in 1886. Photo Courtesy – The National Archives of Malta; (Right) A late 19th century photograph showing the one-storey ‘remissa’ that preceded the construction of Casa Gourgion
THE EARLY YEARS…
1896: Don Alfredo Mifsud (1866-1920), a man of considerable means within the Diocesan Chapter, became the first recorded resident of Casa Gourgion, for which Vassallo had earlier received the substantial sum of £60.
1917: Architect Filippo Tortell (1869-1937) produces the earliest known architectural valuation of the house (£387) that had been inherited by Gio Pio De Piro Gourgion (1881-1953) following the demise of Baron Giuseppe De Piro Gourgion just a year earlier.
Caption: A photograph of Gio Pio De Piro Gourgion (1881-1953), the youngest son of Orsola De Piro (1847-1937) and nephew of Baron Giuseppe De Piro Gourgion (1845-1916) enjoying a cigarette at his own residence, the Palazzo Gourgion, adjacent to Casa Gourgion. Photo Courtesy: Casa Rocca Piccola
MDINA OVER THE YEARS…
Caption: The second visit of HM Queen Elizabeth to Mdina in 1953, here seen being presented with a bouquet of flowers by Marlene Apap Bologna (?) on behalf of her father Alexander or ‘Sander’ Apap Bologna (1906-1981), then president of the L’Isle Adam Band Club in Rabat. Photo Courtesy: Casa Rocca Archives
Over the years, the property had numerous tenants and its whimsical curio has attracted the interest of several renowned photographers including British-Maltese photographer Richard Ellis (1842-1924) who photographed the Neo-Gothic residence as early as September 1907. Holding such a prominent location, Casa Gourgion has been eagerly decorated and witnessed over a century of grand occasions, ceremonies and receptions within the old capital, saluting dignitaries, bishops, governors and even British royalty.
A NEO-GOTHIC REVIVAL….
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2020-2024: After being vacated and returned to the De Piro Gourgion family in 2020, Casa Gourgion, underwent extensive restoration spanning over four years to restore this property to its former glory. As a Grade 2 listed building, this former residence benefits from protection against demolition or alterations that could potentially alter its historical and socio-cultural value. Various experts were engaged to carry out a detailed assessment of the key causes resulting in material decay and degradation before following through with conservation treatment and repair works where necessary.
Caption: Details showing views of one of the open balcony parapets (left) and the rear view of the pinnacle crowning the frontispiece reinforced using metal bracing. Despite being in a structurally sound condition, these elements, amongst other problematic internal and external areas, displayed different forms of weathering, decay and material loss or disintegration. Photo Courtesy: Perit Edward Said
STANDING TALL TODAY…
Caption: One of the first coloured photographs taken by Casa Gourgion in the late 1960s. Photo Courtesy: Malta Image Preservation Archive
Despite the negative backlash that Vassallo received for his ‘architectural folly’, it appears that Casa Gourgion has aged well and perceptions of it have improved as time has gone by, where several visitors to the old capital stop to admire what is nowadays considered to be one of the most remarkable examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the Maltese Islands. Nowadays, this picturesque nobleman’s home at the heart of the Citta’ Notabile is open to the public as a house museum that celebrates the prestige of Casa Gourgion, a treasured part of the De Piro Gourgion legacy.
POST RESTORATION 2024…
2024: Casa Gourgion opened its doors to the public as a house museum. The restoration, led by architects Alan Galea and Andrea Vassallo Cesareo, was a meticulous project that brought the house back to life. Marian Galea, a descendant of the noble De Piro Gourgion family, is the current owner and patron of the museum.
Caption: A slideshow of current photos showcasing Casa Gourgion in its current state. Photos courtesy of Jonathan Borg
DEFYING ANCIENT ARCHITECTURAL BELIEFS…
Caption: A black-and-white photograph of the facade of Casa Gourgion in 1964. The photograph was taken by architectural photographer David Wrightson (1940 - ) who had accompanied renowned architect Quentin Hughes (1920-2004) during his brief visit to the old capital. Photo Courtesy – David Wrightson
The initial reaction to the erection of Casa Gourgion was not pleasant due to its incongruence with the surrounding Baroque setting within the old capital. Such an unorthodox edifice may have dampened Vassallo’s reputation as an architect, with several revered critics including renowned architect Quentin Hughes (1920-2004) going as far as claiming that the Neo-Gothic residence was such a ‘misfit’ and intrusion to Mdina that ‘it would hardly have been more incongruous to have found an English vicarage on the doorstep of St Peter’s.’
