Palaces
Bali Guarena Palace
This palace is situated by the roadside which leads to the neolithic temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, a little further up the hillside away from a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Graces. This majestic building is still isolated and from its grounds, one can still enjoy a fantastic view of the village of Qrendi. This palace stimulates the interest of those who happen to pass close by. It is built in a style which was quite different from other palaces built in its era; quite simple without any external decorations. This style thus reflects a lot on who built it and the purpose for which it was built.
Guarena Palace was built between 1735-1740 and the internal rooms are arranged to give it a form of a residential home. As already stated, the external features are simple, giving it the form of a small fortress. The windows on the ground floor are quite high and a high turret on the roof used to serve as a watchtower for the guards. Clearly, this palace was built in a way to facilitate its defence against corsairs, which were quite common in those days.
Guarena Palace was built between 1735-1740 and the internal rooms are arranged to give it a form of a residential home. As already stated, the external features are simple, giving it the form of a small fortress. The windows on the ground floor are quite high and a high turret on the roof used to serve as a watchtower for the guards. Clearly, this palace was built in a way to facilitate its defence against corsairs, which were quite common in those days.
The first reference which one encounters about this palace can be found in the records of the Order of the Knights of St. John. Here one can notice that in the second half of the 18th Century, Fra Pier Francesco Guarena di Rovero bought a piece of land in the vicinity of Qrendi in an area which was known as Contrada Delle Grazie. He then built a palace surrounded by a large garden filled with citrus trees and other trees. According to tradition, Guarena was a person who enjoyed quiet and peaceful surroundings and so this palace was quite fit for his tastes, where one can imagine that he spent most of the rest of his life enjoying the marvellous views surrounding the area.
Fra Pier Francesco Guarena was born on the 4th October, 1679 in Asti, Italy and he was ordained as a Knight of the Order of St. John in 1688 during the reign of Grandmaster Gregorio Caraffa. Many stories are told about this generous knight and he is mentioned as one of those who contributed to the Silver Gate which stands at the doorway of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament in St. John's Co-Cathedral at Valletta.
During World War Two, this palace and its extensive gardens were used as barracks for various British military forces and towards the end of this period it housed an infantry battalion of the locally enlisted King’s Own Malta Regiment.
Fra Pier Francesco Guarena was born on the 4th October, 1679 in Asti, Italy and he was ordained as a Knight of the Order of St. John in 1688 during the reign of Grandmaster Gregorio Caraffa. Many stories are told about this generous knight and he is mentioned as one of those who contributed to the Silver Gate which stands at the doorway of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament in St. John's Co-Cathedral at Valletta.
During World War Two, this palace and its extensive gardens were used as barracks for various British military forces and towards the end of this period it housed an infantry battalion of the locally enlisted King’s Own Malta Regiment.
Guttenberg Palace
Guttenberg Palace is situated in Our Lady of Mercy Square, on the left-side on entering the square. This area used to form part of a mediaeval hamlet, Hal-Lew which was later on incorporated with other similar hamlets to form Qrendi. This palace is similar to the Octagonal Tower, which is also referred to as the Ellul Preziosi Tower, in the sense that one can defend himself without danger of being hit. The whole palace is surrounded by windows looking downwards so that one could defend against corsairs which were quite common during the years that this palace was erected. This palace, which is nowadays used as a private residence, was built by the Bailiff Johann Wolfgang von Guttenberg who served as a Knight of the Order of St John from 1669 till his demise in 1733. He spent his life serving on the Order's galleys and he used this palace as his residence when he would be in Malta between one voyage and another. Guttenberg was very generous and he presented various donations and gifts to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy, which at the time was renowned through the whole island as a centre for prayer and devotion. Amongst these, one can find a painting of the Crucifixion and another of St Mary Magdalene. Bishop Molina recorded that Guttenberg donated paintings of the Crucifixion and the Assumption which was commissioned in 1690 from Giuseppe d'Andrea Romano. Nowadays, this painting is situated in the Sacristy of this Sanctuary. We also find a good number of ex-voto paintings which are also attributed as donations by Guttenberg.