Glormu cassar biography of christopher

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Girolamo Cassar, also known as Ġlormu Cassar, was a Maltese architect and military engineer who designed many buildings in the capital Valletta.

Life

Cassar was born around 1520 in Birgu to a Sicilian family who had lived in the Maltese islands since around 1440.

He was a military engineer during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and he helped repair some of the fortifications of Birgu and Senglea.

Cassar became assistant to Francesco Laparelli in the building of Valletta and helped him design some of the fortifications.

He took over following Laparelli’s departure from Malta in 1569 (and his death a year later). Since Cassar had only designed military architecture before, he briefly went to study in Italy where he learnt about mannerist architecture.

He returned to Malta within a year and he began to design various buildings

Among the buildings he designed in Valletta there were:

Grandmaster’s Palace (1571)

Auberge d’Ar