The
last auberge that was designed by Gerolamo Cassar was the Auberge de France.
Actually, even this auberge had its predecessor: The first Auberge de France was
situated on a corner in South Street and dates back to 1570. It was also
designed by Cassar, because the remaining part of the building shows Cassar’s
typical window frames and rustication.
This first Auberge de France
also turned out to be too small for the French Knights. The second auberge was
erected only one street block away in 1588. Unfortunately, this auberge was
totally destroyed in 1942.
The plan of the second Auberge
de France varies from Cassar’s usual plans, probably because he had
to integrate an already existing building in his design. The main entrance is
placed totally decentralized on the right of the façade, and the courtyard
appears at the back of the building, being separated from it by a gallery.
The façade also
appears quite strange compared to Cassar’s other designs. Due to the
integration of the building, all windows and the main entrance are placed
without any symmetry. The windows are also different in size and design, partly
even without a frame.
