Slaves' Prison Explained

Slaves' Prison
Native Name:	il-Ħabs il-Kbir
Native Name Lang:	mt
Coordinates:	35.8978°N 14.5167°W
Alternate Names:	Gran Prigione Bagnio
Status:	Destroyed
Building Type:	Prison
Location:	Valletta, Malta
Completion Date:	1585
Destruction Date:	1940s–50s
Material:	Limestone
Floor Count:	3
Architect:	probably Girolamo Cassar

The Slaves' Prison (Italian: Bagni degli Schiavi, Maltese: Il-Ħabs tal-Iskjavi) officially known as the Grand Prison (Italian: Gran Prigione; Maltese: il-Ħabs il-Kbir)^[1] and colloquially as the bagnio, was a prison in Valletta, Malta. It was established in the late 16th century, and remained in use as a prison throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. It was subsequently used as a naval hospital, a school and an examination hall. It was bombed in World War II, and the ruins were demolished to make way for a block of flats.

History

The Gran Prigione (Grand Prison^[2]) was established around 1585^[3] during the magistracy of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle (1582–95). It was probably designed by the architect Girolamo Cassar.^[4] The building served as the Order of St. John's main prison, as well as a compound in which slaves were locked up at night. It could house around 900 inmates.^[5]

After 1615, the prison was supplied by water from the Wignacourt Aqueduct.^[6] A Turkish slave who had been a hydrologist in Constantinople reportedly helped in the construction of the aqueduct, and in recognition of his work he was given his freedom and the prison became one of the first buildings in Valletta to be supplied by running water.^[7]

By 1631, part of the building was used as the Infermeria delle Schiavi, a hospital where ill land-bound slaves were treated. Sick galley slaves were not treated there but at the Great Magazine Ward of the nearby Sacra Infermeria.^[8]

In the Conspiracy of the Slaves of 1749, slaves at the Grandmaster's Palace planned to revolt, free the other slaves from the Slaves' Prison, and take over Fort Saint Elmo and the rest of Valletta.^[9] After the plot was discovered and brutally suppressed, a decree was issued stating that all slaves were to be locked up at the prison at night.

From 1804 to 1819, the prison was used as a temporary naval hospital with 50 beds.^{[10] [11]} After the 1806 Birgu polverista explosion, the government provided part of the prison as a store to the wine merchant Mr. Woodhouse, who had lost large quantities of wine in the disaster.^[12] In 1824 part of the building was demolished, to make way for a planned Protestant church which did not materialise, only to later be rebuilt.^[13] Later on in the 19th century, the building housed an elementary school, which was known as l-iskola tal-ħabs (school of the prison). It eventually became an examination hall before being closed down in 1940.^[14] The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.^[15] The prison was bombed in World War II,^[16] and the ruins were subsequently demolished.^[5] A large block of flats was built on its site in the 1950s.^[17]

The building

The prison was a large three-story building occupying an entire city block close to the Lower Barrakka Gardens.^[18] A mid-19th century report describes it as:^[5]

Other slaves' prisons were located in Birgu and Senglea, and these were both demolished in the 20th century like the Valletta prison.^[18]

Life in the prison

The prison contained a tavern, from which slaves could buy food and drink, a mosque for Muslim slaves,^[18] and chapels dedicated to St. John the Baptist and the Holy Cross for Christian prisoners.^{[19] [20]} Parts of the prison were accessible to the public, and some slaves operated barber shops and other establishments from within the prison.^[5]

A court case dated 1779 describes the situation within the prison as:^[5]

The prison was run by a Prodomo, who served as the governor and was a knight of the Order of St. John. Agozzini had direct control over the prisoners, dividing them into work gangs for the galleys, while carcerieri were responsible for the register of prisoners and probably also acted as guards.^[5]

Further reading

• Web site: Lanfranco. Guido. Xoghol Tal-Iskjavi Fost il-Maltin. Kappelli Maltin. 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20160415104337/http://kappellimaltin.com/XogholTasSkjaviFostIlMaltin.pdf. 15 April 2016.
• Storja. Borg-Muscat. David. Prison Life in Malta in the 18th Century: Valletta's Gran Prigione. 2001. Malta University Historical Society. Henry Frendo. 42–51.
• Prison closed entirely in 1853
• Medical History. Cassar. Paul. July 1968. A medical service for slaves in Malta during the rule of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. 12. 3. Cambridge University Press. 4875614. 1033829. 10.1017/S0025727300013314. 270–277.

Notes and References

1. Lehen Il-Malti. Gatt. Guze. October 1935. IL-Gazzetta tal-Gvern: 1813-1840. mt. Empire Press. 5. 55–56. 18.
2. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection. 1877. Statement of all the property transferred to the military and naval authorities from the year 1816 to the end of 1875 with appendix. University of Mancestor. 60231726. 19. 3 March 2018. 4 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172532/http://dl.docslide.com.br/download/e996ebc0c594ab2c075bf51082e0afbad1243ef61bd876d9ae865c8b12de9684c8f9fccc78f865b350321ff1cdf352c6957a84cdc5c65fd94ac0c0b365bad1f9y3fwCsiz24XCetjkf22h8s%2FKaj0I4xb%2FgkFlqUAHAVSYhM40YeP668ASgtqXSjsjDbOjBw5weyvCKHdsXgIMP%2FQQYWihmzZLujG3HetnnZeq9uIE4woKeLhdOJosFg4r. dead.
3. Guillaumier, Alfie (2005). Bliet u Rħula Maltin. Volume 2. Klabb Kotba Maltin. p. 935., .
4. Book: Mahoney, Leonard. 1996. 5000 Years of Architecture in Malta. Valletta Pub.. 9789990958157. 313.
5. Borg-Muscat. David. Prison life in Malta in the 18th century – Valletta's Gran Prigione. Storja. 2001. 42–51. https://web.archive.org/web/20160416102655/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Storja/Storja2001/05s.pdf. 16 April 2016.
6. Giornale Cattolico. Fiteni. Leopoldo. 21 May 1841. Le conversazioni di Filoteo. From the National Central Library of Rome. it. Senglea. 46.
7. The Water Supply of the Maltese Islands. Archivum Melitense. 1922. VII. 1. 8. Malta Historical and Scientific Society. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110006/http://www.melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Archivum%20Melitense/AM.07(1922-1928)/AM.7(1922)1/01.pdf. 4 March 2016.
8. Book: Savona-Ventura. Charles. Knight Hospitaller Medicine in Malta [1530-1798]]. 2015. Malta. 9781326482220. 98–99.
9. Web site: Sciberras. Sandro. Maltese History – E. The Decline of the Order of St John In the 18th Century. St. Benedict College. https://web.archive.org/web/20150626113655/http://www.stbenedictcollege.org/stlucija/files/Sandro%20Sciberras/Form%203%20Option%20Maltese%20History/Unit%20E_%20The%20Decline%20of%20the%20Order%20+%20WS%2010p.pdf. 26 June 2015.
10. Web site: Regimental Hospitals and Military Hospitals of the Malta Garrison. maltaramc.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192030/http://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/reghosp.html. 4 March 2016.
11. Book: Contemporary Medicine in Malta [1798-1979]. 9781326648992. Savona-Ventura. Charles. 8 May 2016. Lulu.com .
12. Web site: Explosion Polverista Vittoriosa. Medical Officers of the Malta Garrison. https://web.archive.org/web/20170222050937/http://maltaramc.com/regsurg/rs1800_1809/rmo1806.html. 22 February 2017.
13. Bonnici . Arthur . Thirty Years to build a Protestant Church . Melita Historica . 1973 . 6 . 2 . 183–191 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190122043613/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.06(1972-75)/MH.6(1972)2/orig06.pdf . 22 January 2019.
14. Cassar Pullicino. Joseph. The Order of St. John in Maltese folk-memory. Scientia. October–December 1949. 15. 4. 159. https://web.archive.org/web/20160417173522/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2015(1949)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf. 17 April 2016.
15. Web site: Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939.. Malta Environment and Planning Authority. https://web.archive.org/web/20160419101304/https://www.mepa.org.mt/file.aspx?f=2627. 19 April 2016. dead. dmy-all.
16. Book: Bonnici. Joseph. Cassar. Michael. A Chronicle of Twentieth Century Malta. 2004. Book Distributors Limited. 9789990972276. 199.
17. Denaro. Victor F.. Still more houses in Valletta. Melita Historica. 1963. 3. 3. 54. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302000616/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.03(1960-63)/MH.3(1962)3/orig02.pdf. 2 March 2016.
18. News: Cini. George. Horrible torture on streets of Valletta. Times of Malta. 10 June 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180523/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20020610/local/horrible-torture-on-streets-of-valletta.173721. 3 March 2016.
19. https://books.google.com/books?id=onxb8mja88kC&dq=torre+isola+Malta&pg=PA343 Malta illustrata ovvero Descrizione di Malta
20. Web site: Scerri. John. Valletta. malta-canada.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220933/http://www.malta-canada.com/churches-chapels/Valletta.htm. 4 March 2016.