Stop 13 of 25
Republic Square & the Bibliotheca
A queen in Maltese lace, and the Order’s memory
Free to hear. You have 3 of three free stops left, on any tours.
Guide to Republic Square & the Bibliotheca
Republic Square is Valletta's living room — café tables wall to wall under a statue of Queen Victoria, which is why everyone in Malta calls it Pjazza Reġina, Queen's Square. Behind her stands the Bibliotheca, the last major building the Order of St John completed on the island.
Victoria in Maltese lace
The statue was carved in 1891. Look at what she is wearing: the sculptor draped her in a shawl of bizzilla, the Maltese lace the islands are known for.
The gesture is a quiet piece of translation: the Empress of India dressed as a woman of these islands.
The Bibliotheca
Work on the National Library began in 1786 and ended in the 1790s, closing the Order's building record on the island. Barely a few years separated the removal of the scaffolding from the arrival of Napoleon, a surrender made with almost no resistance, and the collapse of 268 years of rule inside a single week.
Inside is the Order's memory: the archives of the Knights of St John running back to the twelfth century, together with the records of their Maltese government — deeds, decrees, court cases, ships' manifests, the paperwork of a state. The main reading hall is free to walk into and has barely changed.
Coffee
The café with the awnings on the corner has been in business since 1837, which makes ordering something there the least strenuous piece of history on this walk.
What to look at
- The lace shawl carved into Victoria’s marble
- The Bibliotheca’s reading room — high shelves, galleries, original fittings
- Balconies above the square: this is the best block in the city for painted wooden gallariji
Practical
- Bibliotheca
- Free entry to the main hall, weekday hours. Bags may be checked.
- Refreshment
- The obvious stop for a break, and priced accordingly.
Walk to stop 14 · St Paul’s Shipwreck
Walk back along Republic Street for a few metres and turn left down St Lucia Street, crossing Merchants Street. The church is on the corner at the bottom, on St Paul Street.
About 4 min · 255 m
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