The Courts of Justice building stands on the site of
Auberge d'Auvergne, a 16th-century building which housed knights of the
Order of Saint John from the
langue of
Auvergne. and it remained so until the building was severely damaged when it was hit by a German
parachute mine on 30 April 1941, during
World War II. The law courts moved to another location outside Valletta, but in 1943 they returned to the part of the auberge which was still standing. They remained there until 1956, when the premises had to be vacated due to their dilapidated state. The ruins of the auberge were subsequently demolished, and construction of a new courthouse on the same site began on 5 May 1965. Some buildings, opposite the Law Courts building on Strait Street, are an extension of the courts. ==Architecture==