The Auberge d'Angleterre in Birgu — residence of the Order's English knights, one of the oldest auberges in Malta. The English langue collapsed when Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church.
The Order of the Knights of Malta was an international organisation, divided into eight "langues" (tongues) by nationality: Provence, Auvergne, France, Castile, Aragon, Italy, Germany, and England. Each langue had its own residence — an auberge — where knights of that nationality lived, dined, and held council. The Auberge d'Angleterre in Birgu was home to the English knights.
The English langue had the most turbulent history of all. When Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church in 1534 and declared himself head of the Church of England, English knights found themselves in an impossible position — Catholic religious in a Protestant kingdom. Henry confiscated the Order's English properties, and the langue effectively ceased to exist. It was only restored symbolically centuries later.
The Auberge d'Angleterre in Birgu is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in Malta, predating the auberges in Valletta. It dates from the period when Birgu (not Valletta) was the Order's capital — before the Great Siege of 1565. Today the building is privately owned and closed to visitors, but its façade can be admired from the street.
Practical tip: The building is in the historic part of Birgu, near the waterfront. Combine the visit with the Inquisitor's Palace and St. Lawrence Church — all within walking distance.
Visible from outside. Currently privately owned.
You haven't joined the game yet
Birgu (Vittoriosa) — the Knights of Malta's first capital, defenders of the Great Siege of 1565. The best-preserved historic town with a waterfront unchanged since the Order's time.
The Inquisitor's Palace (from 1574) — the world's only inquisition palace open to visitors. Tribunal hall and prison cells with graffiti carved by prisoners. Two inquisitors later became popes.
St. Lawrence Church (from 1530) — the Knights' first conventual chapel in Malta, with a Mattia Preti painting and knightly tombstones. As beautiful as the Co-Cathedral, but without the crowds.