Carlo Gimach
Carlo Gimach | |
---|---|
Born | 2 March 1651 Basilica of St Anastasia 41°53′17.1″N 12°29′3.1″E / 41.888083°N 12.484194°E |
Nationality | Maltese (of Palestinian and French descent) |
Education | Roman College |
Occupation(s) | Architect and engineer |
Carlo Gimach (2 March 1651 – 31 December 1730) was a Maltese architect, engineer and poet who was active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Throughout his career, he worked in
Life
Carlo Gimach was born in 1651 to Gio Paolo Gimach, a merchant who was the son of a Palestinian refugee and who had been raised by Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, and his wife Paolina Sartre, the daughter of a French migrant and a Maltese noblewoman. He was the third of six children.[1] The Palestinian descendant was raised as a Muslim, who was an Emir, but converted to Christianity after he was made a slave by the Order. Eventually this led to his freedom, and as a positive consequence this led to a normal life to his family.[2]
Gimach studied in the Roman College in the 1670s before returning to his hometown Valletta, where he was renowned for his knowledge in architecture and literature. He designed two large palaces in the city – Palazzo Correa in 1689 and Palazzo Carneiro in 1696. Palazzo Correa was destroyed in 1942, but Palazzo Carneiro still stands, now known as Auberge de Bavière. Gimach also designed a small shipyard in an area of Valletta known as il-Fossa.[1]
Gimach went to
In 1707, Gimach was introduced to King John V of Portugal by Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Meneses , the Marquis of Fontes, with whom he was working at the time. A year later, he designed a triumphal arch in front of the Lisbon Cathedral, which was commissioned by the British to commemorate the marriage of John V and Maria Anna of Austria.[1]
Gimach was subsequently involved in John V's building projects around Portugal, and he renovated the
After the Marquis of Fontes was sent to
In 1721, Gimach was commissioned by
Gimach is sometimes erroneously described as also having been a painter, but this is due to confusion with Carlo Zimech, a priest and painter from Żebbuġ.[1][5]
Literary work
Gimach was regarded as a man of considerable talent in Latin and Italian literature. Count Giovanni Antonio Ciantar , one of Gimach's friends, wrote the following about him in the 1772 book Malta Illustrata:
"he wrote various poems, mostly in Italian, some of which he used to read to us; his style is limpid; it is sometimes satirical, but always harmless"
Today, most of Gimach's literary work is believed to be lost, with the exception of the cantata Applauso Genetliaco, which he wrote in 1714. Only two copies of this work are known to exist.[6]
Works
Buildings designed or remodelled by Gimach include:[1]
- Palazzo Correa, Valletta, Malta (1689)
- Renovation of Palazzo Tabria and improvements to the surrounding estate, Ħal Far, Malta (1691–92)
- Palazzo Carneiro, Valletta, Malta (1696)
- Shipyard at Il-Fossa, Valletta, Malta (c. 1696)
- Palace of Fra Antonio Correia de Sousa Montenegro, Beira Province, Portugal(1696) – never completed
- Completion and renovation of the Bishop's Palace and the Convent of Santa Catarina da Ribeira, Lisbon, Portugal
- Reconstruction of fortifications on the Portugal–Spain border (c. 1706)
- Triumphal arch in front of the Lisbon Cathedral (1708)
- Renovation of the Monastery of St. Mary , Salzedas, Portugal
- Renovation of the Monastery of Arouca, Arouca, Portugal
- Restoration of the Basilica of St Anastasia, Rome(1721–22)
- Renovation of Palazzo Malta, Rome (1720s)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ellul, Michael (1986). "Carlo Gimach (1651–1730) – Architect and Poet" (PDF). Proceedings of History Week. Historical Society of Malta: 37–38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2017.
- ISBN 9789995785642.
- ISBN 9788836513246.
- Oxford University. Digitalized: 2 October 2007. p. 69.
- ^ Abela, Joe (2001). "Carlo Gimach (1671–1730) : awtur tal-kwadru qadim tal-Kuncizzjoni". Programm Tal-festa Ta' Marija Immakulata Fil-Belt Ta' Bormla: 24, 26, 53. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019.
- ISBN 9789993291329.