Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle

Fra' Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle was the 51st Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1582 and 1595.

History

He is mainly remembered for the reconstruction of the hunting lodge at Boschetto which was renamed Verdala Palace in his honour. The palace is located in the Buskett Gardens, within the limits of Siġġiewi. He is buried in a sarcophagus in the Crypt of the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta. He was made Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Portico Octaviae by Pope Sixtus V in the consistory of December 18, 1587.
Verdalle owned 230 slaves at the time of his death, and some of them were bequeathed to his relatives and friends.