Saint Mary's Battery (Marsalforn)

Saint Mary's Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Santa Marija), also known as Qolla s-Safra Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Qolla s-Safra)[1] or Gironda Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Gironda),[2] 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.[3]

Saint Mary's Battery
Batterija ta' Santa Marija
Marsalforn, Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta
Coordinates36°4′32.7″N 14°15′27.4″E
TypeArtillery battery
Site history
Built1715
Built byOrder of Saint John
MaterialsLimestone
FateDemolished

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.[4]

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
  1. 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.
  2. Farrugia Randon, Stanley (2015). Heritage Saved – Din l-Art Ħelwa – 1965–2015. Luqa: Miller Distributors Ltd. p. 119. ISBN 9789995752132.
  3. Zammit, Vincent (1984). "The Order's 18th Century Fortifications". Civilization. Ħamrun: PEG Ltd. 1: 170.
  4. Bezzina, Joseph. "Marsalforn Culture & History". Żebbuġ Local Council. Retrieved 28 June 2015.


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