Andrea Vassallo (2 January 1856 – 28 January 1928) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

architect. He designed buildings in various styles, including

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

, Rococo Revival,

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

. His masterpiece is the basilica of

Ta' Pinu The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu () is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located some from the village of Għarb on the island of Gozo, the sister island of Malta. Pope Pius XI granted a ...

in Gozo, while other notable works include the domes of the

Ħamrun Hamrun ( ) is a town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who ca ...

and Siġġiewi parish churches, Villa Rosa and the now-demolished Casa Said.

Biography

Vassallo was born in the town of

Luqa Luqa ( , ) is a town located in the Southern Region of Malta, 4.3 km away from the capital Valletta. With a population of 5,945 as of March 2014, it is a small but densely populated settlement which is typical of Malta's older towns and vi ...

on 2 January 1856. He initially worked as a stone sculptor, but by 1887 he had been involved in many aspects of the construction industry, including designing, building or remodeling various buildings and structures to a variety of patrons. He entered government service on 21 December 1887, taking over the late

Webster Paulson Webster Paulson (11 December 1837 – 16 August 1887) was an English civil engineer who is known for his work in Malta in the late 19th century. Life and career Born in Lincolnshire, he attended the Grammar School in Grantham before masterin ...

's post of Clerk of Works. In 1892, he was admitted into the Institution of British Civil Engineers on the recommendation of Sir

Lintorn Simmons Field Marshal Sir John Lintorn Arabin Simmons, (12 February 1821 – 14 February 1903) was a British Army officer. Early in his career he served as Inspector of Railways, Secretary of the Railways Commission and then Secretary of the Railway De ...

and Sir

Osbert Chadwick Osbert Chadwick (4 April 1844 - 27 September 1913) was a British engineer and a professor at University College London Early life and education Osbert Chadwick was born in 1844 to Edwin Chadwick, an English social worker and sanitation reformer ...

. He became a Fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

in 1907, and was finally granted the Warrant of Land Surveyor and Architect on 7 November 1908. This was condemned by the ''Istituto dei Periti'' since Vassallo had never formally studied architecture. Vassallo was awarded the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (; ) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood of th ...

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

for his services during the Eucharistic Congress of 1913, for which he had designed a tribune.

Works

Vassallo designed or was involved in the construction of many buildings and structures, including hospitals, schools, workshops and houses, and he used various architectural styles throughout his career. One of his notable works was a wrought iron conservatory at the Argotti Botanic Gardens, which was built sometime before 1907. This was a unique structure in Malta, but it was later demolished due to high maintenance costs. Vassallo also designed the Neoclassical Sliema Government Elementary School, which was built in around 1908–10. Residential buildings designed by Vassallo include a

house located near the Mdina Cathedral. Its design was well received by the public, but it was also criticized since its style does not blend well with its surroundings. He also designed two

houses which were built in the 1920s: Villa Rosa in

St. Julian's Saint Julian's () is a town in the Eastern Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesse ...

and the now-demolished Casa Said in

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

. In the 1920s, Vassallo won a competition for the design of the dome of the Parish Church of St. Cajetan in

, which would eventually be built in 1953–55 under the direction of

Ġużè Damato Ġużè or Joseph Damato (13 December 1886 – 25 May 1963) was a Maltese architect who designed a number of churches and other ecclesiastical buildings during the 20th century. He was a pioneer of the use of reinforced concrete in Malta, and hi ...

. Despite being constructed decades after his death, the dome was built to his original designs with structural alterations made by Damato. This is regarded as being one of the finest domes in Malta. Vassallo also designed the dome of the Church of St. Nicholas in

Siġġiewi Siġġiewi ( ), also called by its title Città Ferdinand, is a city and a local council in the Western Region of Malta. It is the third largest council in Malta by surface area, after Rabat and Mellieħa. Siġġiewi is situated on a plateau ...

(1919), the Rococo Revival

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tal-Ħerba The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tal-Ħerba () is a Roman Catholic church in Birkirkara, Malta, dedicated to the Nativity of Mary. It was constructed at various stages between the early 17th century and the 1920s, on the site of an earlier church whic ...

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...

(1923), and the

basilica of

in Gozo. The latter is regarded as Vassallo's masterpiece due to its monumentality and intricate design, although it is sometimes criticized as being alien in its surroundings. He designed numerous prominent Victorian townhouses at

Saqqajja Saqqajja is an urban area within the administration of Mdina, Malta, outside the Fortifications of Mdina, walled city. The name "Saqqajja" originates from the Arab period, from a spring of fresh water in the area. The fountain of the spring that ...

Rabat, Malta Rabat ( ) is a town in the Western Region of Malta, with a population of 11,497 as of March 2014. It adjoins the ancient capital city of Mdina, and a north-western area formed part of the Roman city of Melite until its medieval retrenchment. ...

. Vassallo died on 28 January 1928 at the Zammit Clapp Hospital, which he had designed himself in 1910. Vassallo's legacy is sometimes overlooked since many of his buildings are often wrongly attributed to other architects. His son, Edwin Vassallo, was also an architect, and Minister for Public Works (1927-1930). File:Argotti greenhouse (A.Vassallo).jpg, Argotti Botanic Gardens greenhouse (1903, demolished 1931) File:Malta - Mdina - Pjazza San Pawl - Bishop's Palace 01 ies.jpg, Neo-Gothic house near the

Mdina Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...

cathedral File:Villa Rosa.jpg, Villa Rosa File:St. Cajetan of Thiene, Ħamrun Parish Church (dome).jpg, Dome of the Parish Church of St. Cajetan, Ħamrun File:Gozo, Malta Basilica-Ta-Pinu-01.jpg,

basilica

References

External links

ARCHITECT ANDREA VASSALLO (1908-1928)
by Leonard Mahoney {{DEFAULTSORT:Vassallo, Andrea 1856 births 1928 deaths 19th-century Maltese architects 20th-century Maltese architects 19th-century Maltese sculptors 20th-century Maltese sculptors People from Luqa Neoclassical architects Gothic Revival architects Art Nouveau architects Romanesque Revival architects Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects Knights of St. Gregory the Great Architects of Roman Catholic churches