Restored Palace Tapestries: A New Lure for Malta's Cultural Tourism and Events Sector
The 300-year-old tapestries are back after a two-year conservation in Belgium, strengthening Malta's unique heritage offer for visitors and business events.
Malta's most treasured set of tapestries is back on display after a two-year conservation project in Belgium. For the hospitality and business tourism sectors, the return of the 300-year-old Gobelins tapestries to the Grand Master's Palace restores a key selling point for international visitors and conference organisers.
The tapestries arrived at the De Wit Royal Manufacturers in June 2024 and returned to Malta last April. They were inaugurated on 25 June under the patronage of President Myriam Spiteri Debono, with Minister Malcolm Paul Agius Galea present.
Commissioned in 1708 from the Gobelins manufactory in Paris, the tapestries arrived in Malta two years later as part of Grand Master Ramon Perellos's gioia. This set is the only complete surviving one woven from the original cartoons and has hung in the same hall for more than 300 years.
The last full restoration was in 1910, also at Gobelins. Heritage Malta has now installed a new hanging system that allows the tapestries to be taken down without ladders or scaffolding, reducing handling risks.
Alongside the tapestries, the Tapestry Chamber itself was restored. Work included the ceiling, soffit, walls, marble floor, service upgrades, and the surrounding canvas paintings.
Minister Agius Galea framed the project as a strategic investment. “This investment is a direct reflection of our belief in culture as a fundamental pillar of national development,” he said. “A nation that cherishes its past is a nation that looks towards the future with confidence.”
Heritage Malta Chairman Mario Cutajar pointed to the historical significance beyond craftsmanship. “When we visit these tapestries, we should listen to the stories they can tell us about what took place in that hall. Everything we have today began yesterday,” he said.
CEO Noel Zammit stressed the dual objective of the project: fostering local pride and raising Malta's international profile. “The tapestries are not only a national treasure but also part of a broader global narrative,” he said.
For Malta's tourism and events industry, that narrative has commercial weight. Unique heritage assets of this calibre differentiate Malta from competing Mediterranean destinations for high-end leisure travel and business events. The restored tapestries reinforce that advantage.
A new publication titled The Gobelins Tapestries in the Council Chamber, authored by Emmanuel Magro Conti, is now available from Heritage Malta sites and online. A documentary tracing the tapestries' journey will air on TVM+ on 3 July.