Main Guard (Valletta)

This article is about the Main Guard in Valletta, Malta. For the one in Gibraltar, see Main Guard (Gibraltar).

Main Guard
File:Valletta St Johns square Malta 2014 2.jpg The Main Guard
Former names	Guardia della Piazza
General information
Status	Intact
Type	Guardhouse
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Location	Valletta, Malta
Coordinates
Current tenants	Office of the Attorney General
Completed	1603
Renovated	1814 (portico added)
Technical details
Material	Limestone

The Main Guard, originally called the Guardia della Piazza, is a building in Valletta, Malta. It was originally built as a guardhouse in 1603 by the Order of St. John. It is located in the square facing the Grandmaster's Palace in the city centre. It currently houses the Office of the Attorney General.

History

The Main Guard building was built in 1603 to house the Regimento di Guardia, the personal guards of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John. It was built in the square facing the Grandmaster's Palace.

The British coat of arms and inscription above the portico

In 1814, a neoclassical portico was added to the Main Guard by the British. A relief of the British coat of arms was added above the portico, with the following inscription below it:

MAGNÆ ET INVICTÆ BRITANNIAE
MELITENSIUM AMOR ET EUROPAE VOX
HAS INSULAS CONFIRMAT A.D. 1814

The British continued to use the building to house the guards of the Governor of Malta, who resided in the Grandmaster's Palace. Life in the Main Guard was quite boring, and many soldiers painted or carved regimental badges or other things on the walls of the building.

In 1974, the building was converted into the Libyan Cultural Centre, and the British coat of arms and inscription were covered in hardboard.

In the 1990s, the Libyan Cultural Centre moved elsewhere, and the Main Guard became an annex of the Office of the Attorney General. It still serves this function today, and although there were plans to transfer the Valletta Local Council into the Main Guard, they were never implemented. Din l-Art Ħelwa is offering to restore the building.

Layout

The building's façade has a single floor, but the rear part of the building, which is located in Strait Street, has three floors. This is due to a difference between the levels of the streets.