page_title: Villa St Ignatius
section_title: St Ignatius College
hierarchical_section_title: Villa St Ignatius / History / St Ignatius College
caption_attribution_description: English: St. Ignatius Villa
context_page_description: Villa St Ignatius is a historic villa located in the Balluta area of St Julian's, Malta. It was built in the early 19th century for the English merchant John Watson, and it might be the earliest example of Gothic Revival architecture in the country.
  The house was converted into a Protestant college in 1846, and it later housed a Jesuit college, which closed down in 1907. It was used as a military hospital in World War I, before being divided into tenements. Its grounds were built up during the 20th century, and the once-imposing villa is now surrounded by apartments and other buildings.
  Part of the building was controversially demolished in December 2017, violating a court order and attracting widespread condemnation by heritage NGOs and other entities. Plans to demolish the entire villa were made in April 2018, and the fate of the building currently remains unclear.
context_section_description: On 26 March 1872 the trustees sold the property to Dr Pasquale Mifsud (1833-1895), later a judge, and Carlo Maria Muscat, merchant and member of the Council of Government, for the sum of £2,200.
  They invited the Society of Jesus to open a Roman Catholic college in the building. The Colonial Office approved this move in 1877, and the Jesuits added an extension and end-wing to the building. John Morris was the first Rector between 1877 and 1878. A church, dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was completed adjacent to the villa in 1881. St Ignatius' College became one of the leading schools in Malta, and within a few years after its opening it became a boarding school. A refectory, dormitories, a gymnasium, study halls, laboratories and sports facilities were located within the villa and on its grounds. It notably was used as the meteorological centre for the Maltese Islands from 1883. until 1906. The lecturers of the college were generally Catholic priests and their students were generally of the privileged class.
  Notable students include Hannibal P. Scicluna. The college closed down in July 1907 and remained vacant. Soon afterwards, the Jesuits opened the St Aloysius' College in Birkirkara, on 22 December 1907, which had been already built since 1896.
caption: Pointed arched windows, a Neo-Gothic design
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