Villa Madama, a landmark building next to San Anton Gardens in Attard and the venue for many weddings, will be auctioned off next week for the second time in a year.

The sale by auction was fixed by the civil courts in May on an application by Lombard Bank.

The building, including the garden, has been valued at €1.65 million.

Villa Madama belongs to Venues Co. Ltd, which has run into financial difficulties leaving creditors, including Lombard, high and dry.

The property was already auctioned off last year after a creditor obtained a court decree to recoup money owed to his company but the owners took the issue to court and the auction was eventually declared null and void because of wrong proceedings taken by the creditor.

In 2008 HSBC Bank also applied for a judicial auction to recoup payments due to it by the owners of the property but it was called off after Venues Co. Ltd reached an agreement with Lombard.

However, earlier this year Lombard filed a judicial letter against Venues Co. Ltd to the tune of almost €800,000 plus interest. It later applied for a judicial sale by auction and this will be held on July 28, at 11.30 a.m. at the law courts.

Villa Madama was scheduled as a Class 2 property by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority last December, affording it a high level of protection because of its architectural features.

The single-story detached building, which has a large back garden, is located in Birbal Street, Balzan.

The original structure was composed of a number of rural structures built by Grand Master Antoine de Paule, however, these may have been located in the grounds of what is now Melita Gardens, across the lane from Villa Madama.

The original edifice was demolished in the early 20th century when the current building was constructed. It has been subjected to a number of interventions over the past century with the latest being the conversion of the property into a wine bar. The gardens have also been somewhat modified with the widening of some of the paths and reconstruction of parts of the surrounding rubble wall.