page_title: Villa St Ignatius
section_title: Malta Protestant College (MPC)
hierarchical_section_title: Villa St Ignatius / History / Malta Protestant College (MPC)
caption_attribution_description: English: Villa Ignatius
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: In 1846, it was purchased by the English Missionary Association, in order to open a Protestant College for training Missionaries for the East. The villa has been described by a Protestant committee as “The College of St. Julian's ... a beacon-light on the rock of Malta”.
  Notable project at the college, from 1839 and 1845, was the Bible translation to Modern Standard Arabic which took place under the supervision of Lutheran missionary Samuel Gobat (1799-1879). Students from Europe and the Middle-East, such as Egyptians, Greeks and Turks, were hailed to Malta requiring their conversion but the overall expectations was not considered successful. Coversion to Protestant Christianity was controversial from such conservative countries; such was the case of a former Muslim family who after adopting the new faith found refuge in Malta and hosted at the college where they also received education.
  The college closed down in 1865.
caption: A Neo-Gothic arch on façade
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