Casa Leoni

Casa Leoni
Dar l-Iljuni
Façade of Casa Leoni
Alternative names	Casa Leone Palazzo Manoel Vilhena Palace
General information
Status	Intact
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Baroque
Location	Santa Venera, Malta
Coordinates	35°53′21.8″N 14°28′37.9″E / 35.889389°N 14.477194°E / 35.889389; 14.477194
Current tenants	Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change
Completed	1730
Owner	Government of Malta
Technical details
Material	Limestone
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect	Charles François de Mondion

Casa Leoni or Casa Leone (Maltese: Dar l-Iljuni, meaning "House of the Lions"), also known as Palazzo Manoel or the Vilhena Palace (Maltese: Il-Palazz Vilhena), is a palace in Santa Venera, Malta, which was built as a summer residence for Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena in 1730. It was subsequently used for a number of purposes, including as an insurgent command base, an official residence, a museum depository and a school. It currently houses the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.

Casa Leoni was built in 1730 as a summer residence for Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, and it was originally called Palazzo Manoel. The building is located close to the Wignacourt Aqueduct, in an area that was originally in the limits of Ħamrun but which later became the separate locality of Santa Venera. It was designed by the French architect Charles François de Mondion.

During the French blockade of 1798–1800, Casa Leoni served as a command base for the Maltese insurgent National Congress Battalions. A grenadier company known as the Granatieri was set up specifically to guard this headquarters.

Casa Leoni subsequently became a residence for the Governor of Malta, and later for the Lieutenant-Governor. After World War II, it was used as a depository by the Museums Department. The building was converted into a museum in 1952, but the project was unsuccessful and it closed down soon afterwards. While surving as a museum, two gibbets from Villa Frere in Pietà were transferred to Casa Leoni. It later served as a government primary school until 1968.