Auberge de France, Birgu

Auberge de France
Berġa ta' Franza
View of Hilda Tabone Street with Auberge de France in the distance
Former names	il-Palazz tal-Miljunarju
General information
Status	Intact
Type	Auberge
Architectural style	Melitan
Location	Birgu, Malta
Address	No. 24–27, Hilda Tabone Street
Coordinates	35°53′18.6″N 14°31′22.3″E / 35.888500°N 14.522861°E / 35.888500; 14.522861Coordinates: 35°53′18.6″N 14°31′22.3″E / 35.888500°N 14.522861°E / 35.888500; 14.522861
Current tenants	Birgu Local Council
Completed	c. 1533
Owner	Government of Malta
Technical details
Material	Limestone
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect	Nicolò Flavari and Bartolommeo Genga (attributed)

Auberge de France (Maltese: Berġa ta' Franza) is an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built in around 1533 (incorporating an earlier building) to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of France, which induced the entire Kingdom of France except for Auvergne and Provence which were separate langues. The building housed the French langue until a new Auberge de France was opened in Valletta.

The building was subsequently sold, and it remained in private hands in the subsequent centuries, at times being informally known as il-Palazz tal-Miljunarju (The Palace of the Millionaire). In the 19th and 20th centuries, the building was used for a number of purposes, including as a school, a furniture factory and a museum. It is now Birgu's city hall, being the seat of the local council.

Auberge de France was built in around 1533, incorporating an earlier structure. The first alterations that converted the original building into an auberge are attributed to Nicolò Flavari, the Order's architect who had accompanied them after the fall of Rhodes. Further alterations including redesigning the façade were made later on by Bartolommeo Genga. The auberge was located within Birgu's collachio, adjacent to Auberge d'Auvergne et Provence and Auberge d'Aragon.

The langue of France moved to a larger auberge in the new capital Valletta in around 1571, but it also retained the Birgu auberge until 1586. Along with the other auberges in Birgu, the building was subsequently sold to private owners. In the early 19th century, the former auberge was acquired by the rich Vella family, and it became informally known as il-Palazz tal-Miljunarju (The Palace of the Millionaire). From 1852 to 1918, the building was leased to the government as a primary school. In 1921, Auberge de France was rented to Lorenzo Zammit Naro, and it was converted into a furniture factory. Zammit Nero installed a statuette of Saint Joseph on the portal, but it was later removed. The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, together with the other auberges in Birgu.