Saint Paul's Tower and Chapel (Malta)

Saint Paul's Tower and Chapel are a defensive tower and chapel in Delimara, Marsaxlokk, Malta.[2] The tower is also referred to as Ta' Bettina Tower [3] and in official documents as Delimara Tower.[upper-alpha 1] A tower and chapel already existed in 1776, when Claudio Muscati Xiberras was granted the title Marchese di Xrob il-Għaġin.[2]

This article is about a private tower and chapel built by the Dorell family in Delimara, Malta. For another tower in Delimara built by Grandmaster De Redin, now demolished, see Delimara Tower.
St Paul's Tower and Chapel
Torri u Batterija ta' San Pawl
Marsaxlokk, Malta
Torri ta' San Pawl, also known as Ta' Bettina
Coordinates35°50′38.8608″N 14°33′51.7968″E
TypeCoastal watchtower
Chapel
Site information
OwnerPrivate
Open to
the public		Inaccessible
Site history
Builtc. 1740[1]
MaterialsLimestone
FateIntact

Tower

The tower consists of three rooms at ground floor level used for residential purposes. The rooms have a high ceiling and are very well kept. The living area is part of the tower and has arched ceilings with typical Maltese stone-slabs (Maltese: kileb).[2] The two storey L-shaped tower has a plain external appearance, while the lower part has a slight slope. There is a plain projecting string course between the ground and first floor, while the first floor has a ‘dashed’ plain projecting cornice. The tower has small window openings and machicolations (Maltese: gallarija tal-misħun) for the throwing projectiles or boiling liquid onto besiegers.[2]

St Paul's Tower was included in the Antiquities Protection List of 1932[5] and was scheduled by the authorities as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice number 1082/09.[4]

Chapel
St Paul's Shipwreck Chapel, next to the tower.

The current chapel was built in 1740 by Elisabetta Muscat Cassia Dorell, and rebuilt in 1831 by her daughter Marchioness Angelica Moscati Cassia Dorell. It was restored in 1931 by Angelo Muscat Cassia Dorell.[2]

Notes
  1. In the 2009 Government Gazzette listing the property, the tower is referred to as: "Delimara Tower (formerly listed as St Paul's Tower), Marsaxlokk."[4]

References
  1. "Snapshots of …Ta' Bettina Tower (Bettina's Tower)". allaboutmalta.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  2. "St Paul's Tower and chapel, Marsaxlokk". Times of Malta. 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  3. Camilleri, A. (2008). "Il-port ta' Marsaxlokk u madwaru" (PDF). L-Imnara. 9 (1): 22–34 – via um.edu.mt.
  4. "Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta' Malta" (PDF). gov.mt. 2009-12-23. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  5. "PROTECTION OF ANTIQUITIES REGULATIONS". justiceservices.gov.mt. 1932-11-21. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
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