Charles François de Mondion (6 October 1681 – 25 December 1733) was a French

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

who was active in

Hospitaller Malta Hospitaller Malta, officially the Monastic State of the Order of Malta, and known within Maltese history as the Knights' Period ( mt, Żmien il-Kavallieri, "Time of the Knights"), was a polity which existed between 1530 and 1798 when the Mediter ...

in the early 18th century. He was also a member of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

Career

Mondion was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, and he studied military engineering under Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. He first arrived in Malta in 1715 during the magistracy of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful of the Order of St. John. His early work was as deputy to the military engineer René Jacob de Tigné. One of his early works was the second

Marsalforn Tower Marsalforn Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Marsalforn) refers to two towers that stood near Marsalforn, in the limits of Xagħra, Gozo, Malta. The first one was built in 1616, as the fourth of six Wignacourt towers, and collapsed in around 1715. The second ...

, which however no longer exists. Mondion was eventually admitted into the Order of St. John as a ''Cavaliere di Grazia'', and he obtained permanent residency in Malta. Malta-fortmanoel-square-2009

Grand Master

António Manoel de Vilhena António Manoel de Vilhena (28 May 1663 – 10 December 1736) was a Portuguese nobleman who was the 66th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736. Unlike a number of the other Grand ...

's accession in June 1722 created a significant opportunity for Mondion, as the new Prince of Malta decided to unleash an ambitious building programme. On 3 November 1722, Vilhena issued orders for the restoration of the former capital Mdina and its fortifications, and entrusted de Mondion with this renovation. Mondion designed a number of Baroque buildings in the city, including the

Main Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

, the portal of

Greeks Gate The Greeks Gate ( mt, Bieb il-Griegi or ; it, Porta dei Greci; la, Porta Grecorum) is a gate into the fortified city of Mdina, Malta. The gate was originally built in the medieval period, and its outer portal was built in the Baroque style i ...

, the

Torre dello Standardo The ''Torre dello Standardo'' ( en, Tower of the Standard, mt, It-Torri tal-Istandard) is a tower in Mdina, Malta, forming part of the city's fortifications. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1725 and 1726, on the site of an earli ...

Palazzo Vilhena Vilhena Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz De Vilhena; it, Palazzo Vilhena), also known as the Magisterial Palace ( mt, Palazz Maġisterjali) and Palazzo Pretorio, is a French Baroque palace in Mdina, Malta. It is named after António Manoel de Vilhena, ...

, the Banca Giuratale and the

Corte Capitanale The Corte Capitanale is a former courthouse in Mdina, Malta, which currently serves as a city hall. It was built in the Baroque style between 1726 and 1728, to designs of the French architect Charles François de Mondion. The building is lin ...

. Mondion was also involved in the construction or modifications of the

Floriana Lines The Floriana Lines ( mt, Is-Swar tal-Furjana) are a line of fortifications in Floriana, Malta, which surround the fortifications of Valletta and form the capital city's outer defences. Construction of the lines began in 1636 and they were nam ...

Fort Manoel Fort Manoel ( mt, Forti Manoel or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it ...

, the

fortifications of Birgu The fortifications of Birgu ( mt, Is-Swar tal-Birgu) are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround the city of Birgu, Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Angelo in the Middle Ages, and the majority ...

and the

Santa Margherita Lines The Santa Margherita Lines ( mt, Is-Swar ta' Santa Margerita), also known as the Firenzuola Lines ( mt, Is-Swar ta' Firenzuola), are a line of fortifications in Cospicua, Malta. They were built in the 17th and 18th centuries to protect the land ...

. He designed several gates within these fortifications, including

Porte des Bombes ''Portes des Bombes'' ( mt, Bieb il-Bombi, it, Porta delle Bombe, meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called ''Porta dei Cannoni'' (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was originally built in 1721 as an a ...

and

St. Helen's Gate St. Helen's Gate ( mt, Il-Bieb ta' Santa Liena), also known as ''Porta dei Mortari'', is the main gate of the Santa Margherita Lines, located in Cospicua, Malta. It was built in the Baroque style in 1736 to designs of Charles François de Mondion ...

. His unexpected death in 1733 cut short a promising career. Mondion was buried in the crypt of the Chapel of St Anthony of Padua within Fort Manoel.

Gallery

Porte des Bombes 1860s.jpg,

(1720–21) Marsalforn Tower 1924.jpg,

(1720–22) Birgu arch 2.jpeg, Couvre Porte Gate (1722) Birgu arch 3.jpeg, Advanced Gate (1723) Malta - Mdina - Gate+bridge+ditch 01 ies.jpg,

Mdina Gate Mdina Gate ( mt, Il-Bieb tal-Imdina), also known as the Main Gate or the Vilhena Gate, is the main gate into the fortified city of Mdina, Malta. It was built in the Baroque style in 1724 to designs of Charles François de Mondion, during the ...

(1724) Mdina - Greeks Gate 20100226-1.JPG, Portal of

(1724) Torre dello Standardo, Turri di la bandiera.jpeg,

(1725) Entering Fort ManoelDSC 0096.jpg,

Gate (1726) Natural History Museum Mdina (6810109710).jpg,

(1726–28) Corte Capitanali Mdina, Malta.jpeg,

(1726–28) Mdina-banca-giuratale-2.JPG, Banca Giuratale (1726–28) Birgu.arch 4.jpeg, Gate of Provence (1727) 30062 Saint Helen's Gate.jpg,

(1736)

Career

Gallery

References

Further reading