| Saint Mary's Battery | |
|---|---|
|
Batterija ta' Santa Marija | |
| Marsalforn, Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta | |
| Type | Artillery battery |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1715 |
| Built by | Order of Saint John |
| Materials | Limestone |
| Fate | Demolished |
Saint Mary's Battery (Maltese language: Batterija ta' Santa Marija), also known as Qolla s-Safra Battery (Maltese language: Batterija tal-Qolla s-Safra),[1] was an artillery battery in Marsalforn, limits of Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1715 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands.[2]
The battery formed part of a chain of fortifications built to defend Marsalforn and nearby bays from Ottoman or Barbary attacks. Although the area was fortified by a number of towers, batteries, redoubts and entrenchments, all of these have been destroyed except for Qolla l-Bajda Battery between Qbajjar and Xwejni Bays.[3]
The battery consisted of a semi-circular gun platform ringed by a parapet, and two blockhouses joined together by a wall. It has been demolished and no remains can be seen.
References[]
- ↑ de Boisgelin, Louis (1805). Ancient and Modern Malta: Containing a Full and Accurate Account of the Present State of the Islands of Malta and Goza, the History of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Also a Narrative of the Events which Attended the Capture of These Islands by the French, and Their Conquest by the English: and an Appendix, Containing Authentic State Papers and Other Documents - Volume II. London: Richard Phillips. p. 192. https://books.google.com.mt/books?id=ZIU-AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA192#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ Zammit, Vincent (1984). "The Order's 18th Century Fortifications". Ħamrun: PEG Ltd. p. 170.
- ↑ Bezzina, Joseph. "Marsalforn Culture & History". http://www.zebbuggozo.com/history-marsalforn.php. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
The original article can be found at Saint Mary's Battery (Marsalforn) and the edit history here.