Prison life in Malta in the 18th century : Valletta's gran prigione

Abstract

Malta's ancien regime slaves prison - la Prigione dei Schiavi – which was located in the city of Valletta, has been the victim of historiographical neglect. To date no monograph has ever been published on the subject and a detailed study has yet to be made of prison life in ancien regime Malta. The wholesale demolition of this building has contributed in no small part to the fact that its exact location in Valletta is, for many, a matter of conjecture. That no trace of this building remains has reinforced the mystery which shrouds the Prigione and which prevents us from understanding its exact role within the structures of power built up in early modern Malta by the Order of St John. Were it not for its obliteration the Prigione dei Schiavi, or bagno, as it was popularly referred to, would surely rank prominently among Valletta's oldest buildings, having been attributed to the sixteenth-century architect Gerolamo Cassar.