Judge Camilleri’s Unlucky Day
Look around you. This space, which was known as the upper floor of the seminary at ‘Manresa House’ was once placed at the Governor’s disposal for use as a temporary law court by Archbishop Mauro Caruana, following the destruction of the Courts of Justice in Valletta. The Criminal Hall was hence located to the top floor, presently the ‘Archives Hall’ at the Curia. The staircase which leads to this top floor (shown on the map below) was also an addition which was built specifically to ensure His Majesties’ Judges and their personal attendants could exclusively enter the law courts, without accessing the seminary. The Public was also excluded from using this staircase.
Did you know?
When the law courts were relocated, appropriate furniture had to be acquired. Carmelo Delia Ltd. was chosen to provide all furnishings, including writing desks, armchairs, and bookshelves. Have a look at the orders placed!
During air raids, however, the Courts of Justice had to be quickly relocated to four concrete shelters found adjacent to the ‘Crypt,’ which you can visit during our Open Day. Four small concrete shelters used to be for taking cover when danger signal light was on, while another room was used by the jurors. Another room was further used by the prosecutor and defending counsel. The linking corridors were also used as a shelter by the public and seminary students.
The seminary boys created ‘indescribable’ noise and on one instance, a boy even threw a small stone which hit Judge Camilleri on the head. This occasion resulted in the development of a plan to expand the existing shelters. Have a look at the blueprint attached, to see the proposed amendments.