Villa Bighi
Royal Naval Hospital Bighi | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Kalkara, Malta |
Coordinates | 35°53′35.1″N 14°31′28.2″E / 35.893083°N 14.524500°E |
Organisation | |
Type | Military |
Services | |
Beds | 250 |
History | |
Opened | 29 September 1830 |
Closed | 17 September 1970 |
Links | |
Lists | Hospitals in Malta |
Royal Naval Hospital Bighi (RNH Bighi) also known as Bighi Hospital, was a major naval hospital located in the small town of Kalkara on the island of Malta. It was built on the site of the gardens of Palazzo Bichi,[1] that was periodically known as Palazzo Salvatore. RNH Bighi served the eastern Mediterranean in the 19th and 20th centuries and, in conjunction with the RN Hospital at Mtarfa, contributed to the nursing and medical care of casualties whenever hostilities occurred in the Mediterranean. The building is now known as Villa Bighi and it houses a restoration unit.
History
Palazzo Bichi
On the site of the current building is Palazzo Bichi (now Palazzo Bighi)
The palace became known again as Palazzo Bichi after it was bought by another Fra Giovanni Bichi in 1712 and remained his until his death in 1740. The palace is said to have housed
Since the arrival of the British military in Malta it started to be known (since 1799) as Villa Bighi particularly because of the references to it by Sir Alexander Ball. Most palaces in Malta built by the Order started to be referred to as Villas by the British, and particularly the word Bichi of Villa Bichi was corrupted to Villa Bighi.[8] Even before his arrival, the site was chosen by Nelson to build a naval hospital since 1803.[11]
The palace, or villa, and its garden
Villa Bighi
In 1829 four Egyptian limestone
Service
Bighi Hospital contributed to the nursing and medical care of casualties whenever hostilities occurred in the Mediterranean, making Malta "the nurse of the Mediterranean".
The hospital's first director (1827–1844) was John Liddell. He was later appointed director-general of the Royal Navy's Medical Department, and during his office Bighi nursed casualties from the Crimean War.
In 1863 the hospital looked after Queen Victoria's son Prince Alfred who was ill for a month with typhoid fever whilst serving as an officer in the RN. He recovered from his illness.
During the First World War, RNH Bighi accommodated a very large number of casualties from the
Closure and subsequent site usage
In 1967, during the second rundown of the British services and their employees in Malta, Bighi Hospital was on the brink of closing down. On 17 September 1970 Bighi was closed down indefinitely.[18]
In 1977 parts of the building were occupied by the former Senglea Trade School while other sections accommodated a secondary school.
Since 2010 the site has housed the head office of Heritage Malta; the national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage.[19]
Further reading
See also
References
- ^ a b McGill, Thomas (1839). A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta. L. Tonna. pp. 77–78.
- ^ a b c "Palazzo Bighi". Times of Malta. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Palazzo Bichi". Google Search. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ Azopardi, Giovanni (1 January 1836). "Giornale della presa di Malta e Grozo, dalla Republica francese, e della susseguente rivoluzione della campagna".
- ^ Bonelli Conenna, L. (1990). Il Contrado Senese alla fine del XVII secolo – poderi, rendite e proprietari. Siena: Academia Senese degli Intronati. p. 76.
- ^ "The 'Cabreo' of Fra Mario Bichi". The Malta Independent. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Military Hospitals of the Malta Garrison". British Army Medical Services and the Malta Garrison 1799–1979. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "History & Origins". Malta Council for Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Bichi: Views from the Villa exhibition". Gozo News. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Unknown" (PDF).[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 978-1-326-48222-0.
- ^ Attard, A. (2011). It-Tlett Ibliet fi żmien il-pesta. Programm tal-festa Marija Immakulata, Belt Cospicua, 2011: 425 sena Parroċċa, 1586-2011, 53-56.
- ^ "IL-FORTI RICASOLI U L-PALAZZ BICHI" (PDF) (in Maltese).
- ISBN 99932-15-02-3.
- ^ MacGill, Thomas (1839). A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta. Malta: Luigi Tonna. p. 79.
- ^ "200-year-old History in an old musty archive". The Malta Independent. 11 March 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ISBN 9781425168100.
- ^ Serracino, Joseph (6 January 2018). "Dawra kulturali mal-Port il-Kbir (4)" (PDF). Orizzont. p. 20.
- ^ "Contact Us". Heritage Malta. Retrieved 17 July 2016.