It was designed by the Italian military engineer Francesco Laparelli, while its construction was overseen by his Maltese assistant Girolamo Cassar.

The Order decided to build a new fortified city as their new capital, and it was called Valletta after Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette.

Pope Pius V not only helped out financially, but also sent the Italian military engineer Francesco Laparelli to Malta to design the new capital's fortifications.

Following Laparelli's departure from Malta and his subsequent death, construction of the city was entrusted to his Maltese assistant, the architect and military engineer Girolamo Cassar.

The heads of the three executed men were displayed on the corners of St James Cavalier,[8] but were removed soon after Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc was elected Grand Master in November of the same year.

[9] After taking control of Malta in the beginning of the 19th century, the British converted the cavalier into an officers' mess, a place where soldiers could socialize.

[11] In World War II, the building was also used as a bomb shelter, while its upper floor became a food store for the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes.

[10] In the 1970s, the Government Printing Press moved from the Grandmaster's Palace to St James, and it remained there until new premises at Marsa Industrial Estate were opened in 1996.

However, the work was the cause of much controversy and was deemed unsatisfactory by many Maltese, partly resulting in the halting of other planned projects in Valletta and the decision to use celebrated architects (including Renzo Piano) rather than Richard England.

[citation needed] This task was carried off with great aplomb in the conversion of the two water cisterns, one into St James' spectacular theatre space and the other into the atrium.

the design nonetheless incorporate glass panels and a marvelous awareness of space that allows the visitor to read the historical narrative told by the wells.

The national heritage organization Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna did protest against the removal of a rare World War Two gas shelter and other historical remains from the British period.

[16][17] Various exhibitions and other cultural events are regularly held there including a yearly festival by the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology.

[3] Despite the impression of size given by the external aspect of the building, half of the structure was filled with compressed earth and the rest consisted of a series of sparse chambers and a ramp by which cannons could reach the roof.