Verdala Palace: A spotlight on Malta’s secluded grandeur

Verdala Palace is a palace in Buskett Gardens, one of the very few woodland areas found on the island, located in the limits of Siggiewi.

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An incredible past

The grand palace was built in 1586 during the reign of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle, the 51^st Grandmaster of the Order. The site was originally occupied by a hunting lodge which was built in the 1550s or 1560s, during the reign of Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette. The palace was later embellished in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, during the reigns of Grandmasters Giovanni Paolo Lascaris and Antonio Manoel de Vilhena.

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During the two-year French blockade, between 1798 and 1800, the palace served as a military prison for French soldiers captured by the Maltese or British. During British rule, it became a silk factory, but was later abandoned and fell into a state of disrepair. Some refurbishing works were undertaken during the governorship of Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby and was fully restored by Governor Sir William Reird in the 1850s.

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Prior to the restoration, it was a minor hospital between 1915 and 1916, later becoming the official summer residency of the Governors of Malta. Verdala Palace was also included on the Antiquities List of 1925.

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When World War II began, important works of art from the National Museum were stored at the palace for safekeeping. The palace was restored in 1982 and was used to host visiting heads of state.

An eerie history

Situated in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but forest around, it’s no wonder Verdala has a spooky past. The palace is supposedly haunted by the Blue Lady, a niece of Grandmaster de Rohan. She was bethrothed to a suitor who imprisoned her in her room in the palace. In order to avoid the horrible marriage, she tried to escape from a window but fell to her death.  Her ghost is reportedly seen roaming the palace, wearing the same blue dress she wore when she died, and she also sometimes makes an appearance in visitor’s photos.

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Life at Verdala today

Since 1987, the palace has been in use as the summer residence of the President of Malta. The palace is generally closed to the public except for the August Moon Ball held annually in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund, and any other privately organised events.

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