Palazzo Dorell (French: Palais d'AurelZammit Tabona, Kenneth (2015). "The Age of Elegance". Miranda Publishers.), also known as Bettina Palace,Gozo Tourism Association, "Dorell Palace and Xlejli Tower Overview in Gudja, Malta" , Island of Gozo. is a 17th-century Palladian palace located in Gudja, Malta.
History The property was built during the Order of St. John by Count Ignatius Francesco Moscati Falsoni Navarra as a family home and country residence in 1670. The palace was bought in 1760 by Pietro Paolo Falzon d'Aurelle (English: Dorell) Falzon, and is interchangeably named for him and his daughter Marchesa Lady Elisabetta Testaferrata Dorell.
The palace served as the headquarters for the British forces, under General Graham, during the French blockade (1798–1800).
The interior of the building has some of the ceiling covered in frescoes which were painted by Antonio Grech (1758-1819), known as "Naici" (Antonaci).
It was the last building used by the British, with the consent of the owners, before having to leave Malta in 1979 on Freedom Day.
Since the 19th century the place has become limitedly open to the public with special permission of the owners, starting from the Patron Lorenzo Galea.
Gardens The Xlejli Tower and a chapel are located inside the walled private gardens of the property. In the garden is also a small cemetery where British armymen who died during the French occupation of Malta are buried.Cassar Pullicino, Joseph. . Melitensia. p. 157. The garden is considerably large compared to other general houses. It has a French style.“The Palazzo itself is a simple symmetrical building, rather French in feeling, with an open forecourt and low side wings, both unusual features in a Maltese country house. It was built about 1660 and extended and decorated later.....”.
Modern Today the palace is a private residence and is not open to the public.
The palace is scheduled as a grade 1 scheduled property by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI).
Other Dorell residences The aristocratic French family d'Aurelle had other notable properties in Malta. The palace should not be confused with Palazzo Bettina in Birgu, nor Casa Dorell in Valletta; which both belonged to the same family once.
Further reading Dorell Cassar Pullicino, Joseph. "The Order of St. John in Maltese Folk-Memory". Melitensia. p. 156.
Old Mdina cathedral survives in many places
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