Just opposite the hospital, at No. 19 Observer Street, lived the Superintendent of the Hospital, known as the Prud’Homme. The Grand Pillier of the French Langue always held this role—the branch of the Order responsible for running the hospital. His house was directly connected at the back to the Auberge de France. In 1574, the Sacra Infermeria (or Holy infirmary) moved to Valletta, and the Benedictine nuns who had been living in the old Magisterial Palace at Vittoriosa asked if they could occupy the empty hospital, which they did in 1652.

In the interim, on May 28, 1583, the Grand Master and his Council made a rule to help sick galley slaves. If any of these rowers got sick while their ships were in port, they had to be taken to the Old Infirmary in Birgu. There, they would be looked after by the barber-surgeons from their ships and also checked on by one of the Order’s paid doctors.

The galley General and Captains had to make sure the medical team did their job properly. We don’t know exactly how long this system lasted, but by 1592, the galley slaves were no longer being treated at the Old Infirmary. That year, a deadly pestilence spread across the island, and the building was turned into a quarantine hospital to stop the illness from spreading.

Inside the Santa Scholastica Monastery

No. 19 Observer Street,

Throughout history, especially during times of plague and public emergencies, churches were often repurposed as hospitals to care for the sick and vulnerable. For example during the plague epidemic of 1675 to 1676, the magazine near the ‘Manderaggio’ in Vittoriosa, the quarters of St Philip in Senglea and the quarters of St Paul in Cospicua were also used as isolation hospitals.

Church of San Filippu Neri (1596 / Rebuilt 1690), Senglea

Soon after the French troops arrived, a serious health problem began to spread — venereal diseases, which are infections passed through close physical contact. The situation became so serious that two important buildings, the monastery of St Scolastica and the Anglo-Bavarian Auberge, had to be turned into special hospitals to treat the infected soldiers. These hospitals were set up to help manage the outbreak and prevent it from spreading further among the troops and the local population.

Inside the Inquisitor’s Palace

Immediately after the French were kicked out, the Knights’ Armoury in Birgu was used to care for wounded and sick sailors in the British Navy. During the early years of British rule, several hospitals were established close to where soldiers’ barracks were located. The Cottonera area was initially served by a hospital located in the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa, later replaced by a military hospital within Fort Ricasoli. Inside the fort, strong bomb-proof arches were converted into hospital space by adding wooden partitions and floors. The ground floor housed recovering soldiers and isolated patients, while the upper level included two wards and a surgery, with space for 54 beds—expandable to 100 in emergencies.

Fort Ricasoli. Photo credit: Sudika

By 1822, the hospital also sheltered invalids and discharged soldiers from the Ionian Islands, but it ceased operations in the 1860s. After 1832, the airy Armoury in Vittoriosa briefly served as a military medical facility, and nearby houses were rented to accommodate the overflow, as space was limited. It was then taken over by the Royal Engineers and subsequently by the King’s Own Malta Regiment. Additional space was created when the British converted two nearby private houses into a hired hospital, expanding the facilities further. In peacetime, the Armoury or Armeria Hospital could accommodate 120 beds, with capacity for up to 100 more during emergencies. Its small medical team consisted of a surgeon, an assistant surgeon, a dispenser who prepared medicines, and an agent responsible for managing supplies and equipment.

The Knights’ Armoury in Birgu

In 1809, detailed rules were issued for how hospitals in places like Malta should be run. Surgeons were paid £500 a year and given free housing. They had to visit patients every morning and evening, help manage supplies, and make sure bedsheets were changed twice a week. New patients had to be gently washed before being put to bed, and anyone with an infectious illness got special hospital clothes — their old clothes were either boiled or burned. Only patients who couldn’t be treated on board their ships were admitted, and those with hernias were sent back once given a truss. Every patient needed a ‘Smart Ticket’ describing their illness, and they got a certificate or hospital recommendation when discharged. Medicines were placed at each bed with a matching prescription label, and the wards had to be kept extremely clean. Sick and recovering patients, as well as officers and regular crew, were kept apart. Used bandages and sponges were boiled or thrown away.

Surgeons were given all necessary instruments and medicines, and had to send monthly reports, including any unusual cases. Although vaccines weren’t yet mandatory, surgeons were encouraged to promote them. They were also banned from private practice or accepting gifts. Hospital staff had to complete many forms, and the Dispenser (in charge of drugs and supplies) could only report through the surgeon. His supplies included about 70 medicines, plus food and items like wine, cocoa, honey, oranges, bandages, and splints.

In November 1803 Lord Nelson was already communicating about the necessity of finding a hospital to cater to the needs of the Royal Navy. A month later, Dr Snipe, Physician to the Fleet and inspector of Hospitals, reported back to Nelson agreeing that the ‘the Palace of Bighay’ in Kalkara was in a ‘most desirable location’, in the Grand Harbour, ‘cooled by a refreshing sea breeze in summer’ and ‘in winter perfectly dry’. The fact that Villa Bichi had access to the sea, was surrounded by cultivated land, and was not close to any buildings made it ideal. However, the Palace itself was small and in a dilapidated state.

Villa Bichi, Kalkara in the 18^th Century

Villa Bichi was built in 1675 as a country residence for Fra Giovanni Bichi, an Italian knight of the Order of St John and nephew of Pope Alexander VII. Bichi served as Admiral of the Papal Fleet and founded a hospital for sailors in Civitavecchia. Unfortunately, he did not live to enjoy his villa as he died of the plague just a year later, in 1676 and was buried in San Salvatore Church close to the villa. After Fra Giovanni Bichi’s death, the villa was inherited by his nephew, Knight Fra Mario Bichi, who died in 1712. It was then purchased by Bailiff Fra Giovanni Sigismondo, Count of Schaesberg. However, in 1718, the property returned to the Bichi family when it was taken over by Mario’s nephew, another Fra Giovanni Bichi. In 1791, the villa was acquired by Bailiff Fra Nicola Frisari.

The estate hosted notable guests, including the Inquisitor Paolo Passionei during a quarantine in 1743, and by 1763 it served as the home of John Dodsworth, the English Consul. In 1784, Russia requested to use it as a naval supply base, but the proposal was rejected by the ruling Grand Master. Over the years it was also referred to as “the garden and palace of San Salvatore” before eventually being known as Villa Bighi—possibly first referred to as such by Sir Alexander Ball in 1799. During the French occupation of Malta in 1798, there were rumours—but no solid proof—that Napoleon Bonaparte stayed at the villa. What is known for sure is that during the Maltese rebellion against the French, much of the villa’s interior was taken apart by locals who needed materials. When the British took control of Malta in 1800, the villa became government property.

During the plague epidemic of 1813, Villa Bighi was temporarily turned into a hospital for plague victims from the Cottonera area. The hospital was managed by Dr Luigi Pisani, who cared for the poor in Vittoriosa, and supervised by the chief physician, Dr Gio Batta Saydon. Sadly, seventeen patients died there during the outbreak. In the cholera outbreak of 1837, the British governor ordered the transfer of almost all the inmates of the Ospizio in Floriana, where the first casualties of the plague were recorded, to Fort Ricasoli because it was isolated and well-ventilated. The convent and church of St Phillip Neri in Isla were once again converted into a temporary hospital to help contain the epidemic and treat victims of the plague, much against the wishes of the inhabitants of Senglea.

Villa Bighi and its surrounding land officially became property of the Royal Navy in 1822, when government-owned buildings and land were being reassigned. As part of this deal, the British agreed to pay a small yearly sum—£1, 6 shillings, and 3 pence—to the parish priest of Our Savior Chapel.

For several years after the epidemic, the villa was rented out to private individuals. However, in March 1829, the Royal Navy took full control of the property. This decision followed the Battle of Navarino in 1827, which revealed that the existing Armeria Hospital was unable to handle the large numbers of injured soldiers. At the time, wounded men were being treated at Fort Ricasoli, but it was clear that a better facility was needed, making Villa Bighi a perfect fit.

Sir Alexander Ball

The foundation stone of the Royal Naval Hospital was laid in 1830. Two collonaded wings were added on either side of Villa Bighi, capable of receiving 300 patients. The central villa contained the chapel and the quarters for the medical storekeeper and two assistant surgeons. The Deputy Inspector-General resided in a spacious house near Rinella creek.

Dr Thomas Spencer Wells

The hospital opened two years later. In 1840, the Royal Navy Hospital was singled out for only having an incredible 4% mortality rate. On March 6th, 1847, a medical breakthrough took place in Malta — anaesthesia was used for the first time – at the Royal Naval Hospital- to make surgery painless. The type of anaesthetic used was called ether. It was given by Dr Thomas Spencer Wells, who later became Sir Thomas Spencer Wells, a well-known surgeon who specialised in abdominal operations.

One of the hospital’s most famous patients was His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, who occupied a room in the west wing of Bighi  Hospital whilst convalescing in 1863. The Prince was responsible for introducing uniforms for the hospital staff. During the Crimean War (1854–56), Malta became a key medical outpost for treating wounded soldiers. The Malta Times reported that orders from England called for space to be prepared to accommodate 10,000 men, some of whom were lodged in the Dockyard lofts, whilst on March 4th, 1854, three companies from the 28th Regiment took over the hospital store at Bighi Hospital.

One of the wards inside Cottonera Hospital

Throughout the First World War, just as it did in the Crimean War, Malta became known as the ‘Nurse of the Mediterranean.’ Its hospitals cared for thousands of wounded soldiers. From the Gallipoli campaigns alone, around 2,500 officers and 55,400 soldiers were treated in Malta. Later, during the 1917 Salonika campaigns, the island’s hospitals received another 2,600 officers and 64,500 troops. Many received treatment at Bighi Naval Hospital and the Cottonera Hospital, as well as other hospitals set up around Malta including Fort Ricasoli. Bighi Hospital took in a large number of wounded soldiers from the Dardanelles campaign. The hospital became so overcrowded that patients had to be placed in corridors and even in nearby ditches.

During this time, a building in Bormla, located on Triq il-Ġublew tal-Fidda, known as The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Rest, which previously provided a space for military servicemen to relax without resorting to bars and alcohol, was converted into a small hospital for wounded soldiers. Today, the ‘rest’ is home to the Bormla Local Council.

Staff Fort Ricasoli Hospital in Kalkara Malta on 6 Oct 1915 during the Great War (WW1)

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Rest

The Bormla Local Council today

During World War II, the hospital was in a heavily bombed area due to nearby military sites. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the X-ray theatre, the East, West and Centre Blocks and the Cot Lift from the Bighi Jetty to the Hospital. Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) visited the hospital on December 23, 1949, along with Lady Edwina Mountbatten, and was welcomed by the medical officer in charge, Surgeon Rear Admiral O.D. Brownfield.

The hospital officially closed on September 17, 1970, when naval medical services moved to the David Bruce Military Hospital in Mtarfa. In 1977, the former Senglea Trade School occupied the central and eastern blocks, while a secondary school occupied the other parts. Today, the historic Villa Bighi is home to the Malta Council for Science and Technology. In 2010, the Government of Malta launched a project to transform several historic parts of the site — including the West Wing, Zymotic Block, Cot Lift, Chaplain’s House, and Mental Ward — into ‘Esplora’, a National Interactive Science Centre. Meanwhile, Heritage Malta’s Head Office and Conservation Laboratories occupy the wings overlooking Kalkara Creek since 2005.

The Cot Lift

Written with reference to:

• ‘A medical service for slaves in Malta during the rule of the Order of St John of Jerusalem’ by Paul Cassar. Med Hist., 12(3), 270-277, 1968.
• ‘How “Villa Bichi” became a Naval Hospital’ by Paul Cassar.  In: B. Hilary (ed.), The Malta Year Book 1971. Malta: De La SaIle Brothers Publications, pp. 363-376. 1971.
• ‘Facets on Medical Life in Senglea in the late 18^th and early 19^th Centuries’ by Paul Cassar. Medi-Scope, 12, 14-18. 1989.
• ‘The Four Sanitary Ordinances 1900-1908, A History 1900-2000’ by Adrian Cutajar. Doctor of Law thesis, Faculty of Laws, University of Malta. June 2003.
• ‘The Old Hospitals: The Order Of St John’ by Joseph Galea and Frederick F. Fenech.  Vol. 6 No. 12 Clinical Pediatrics.
• ‘Cottonera, Three Cities behind Brothers-in-Arms’ by Christian Formosa. Published by Heritage Malta Publishing and Kottonera Foundation, 2023.
• ‘The Malta Plague Epidemic of 1675-1676’ by Saviour Pisani. The St. Luke`s Hospital Gazette, 5(1), 42-45.
• ‘Senglea 1750-1798’ by Violet Rizzo. BA Honours History Dissertation, University of Malta.
• ‘Military and Naval Hospitals in Malta in the last two Centuries’ by Charles Savona-Ventura
• ‘Hospitaller Activities in Medieval Malta’ by Charles Savona-Ventura. Malta Medical Journal Volume 19 Issue 03 September 2007
• ‘Sacra Infermeria The First Hospital of The Order Vittoriosa’ by Lorenzo A. Zahra. Accessed May 2025: https://vittoriosahistorica.org/Leaflets/Sacra-Infermeria.pdf
• ‘Villa Bighi History’ Accessed May 2025: https://villabighi.com/history/