Dellia Battery ( mt, Batterija tad-Dellija), also known as Vendôme Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Vendôme) or Pwales Right Battery ( mt, Batterija tal-Lemin tal-Pwales), was an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

Xemxija Xemxija ( mt, Ix-Xemxija, pronounced ''shem-shee-ya'') is a suburb on the western part of St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta. It is a quiet resort, surrounded by Maltese countryside and some of the most fertile valleys in Malta. There ...

Bay, limits of St. Paul's Bay,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was built by 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 ...

in 1715 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. It was demolished in 1924, but the coats of arms and inscription which were located above the main entrance still exist and are now a monument.

History

Dellia Battery was built in 1715 as part of the Order of Saint John's first building program of batteries and redoubts around the coasts of Malta. It was one of two batteries defending

Bay, the other one being

Arrias Battery Arrias Battery ( mt, Batterija ta' Arrias), also known as Xemxija Battery ( mt, Batterija tax-Xemxija) or Pwales Left Battery ( mt, Batterija tax-Xellug tal-Pwales), is an artillery battery in Xemxija, limits of St. Paul's Bay, Malta. It was bui ...

, which is still in existence. The battery consisted of a mostly rectangular gun platform with a rounded end, ringed by a low parapet. Its gorge was closed off by a rectangular blockhouse. The doorway was surmounted by the coats of arms of the Order, Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful and the

Langue Langue is a municipality in the Valle Department, Honduras. The town is located near the border of El Salvador and is a regional Hammock making center. Most of the town is made up of sharecroppers and day laborers. There are usually Mormon miss ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The latter represented

Philippe de Vendôme Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

, who had a leading role in the construction of batteries in Malta. In 1770, the battery was armed with six 6-pounder iron guns, and was supplied with 420 rounds of roundshot and 90 rounds of grapeshot. Three of its guns were removed by 1785. In the early 20th century, the battery was a summer residence for the consul-general of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Antonio Muscat Fenech. At this point, an extension was added to the battery, and it flew the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

and Austro-Hungarian ensign. Most of Dellia Battery was demolished in 1924 to make way for a new road, but the three escutcheons with coats of arms and a commemorative marble plaque which stood on the doorway were retained. The parapet was also retained, but it was eventually demolished after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

was built in its place. Delija Redoubt as monument

Today, the only remains of the battery are the coats of arms and plaque which formerly stood on the doorway. These are mounted on a plinth on the side of the road. In addition, the foundations possibly still exist, buried under the modern road. The plinth containing the coats of arms and inscription is listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mon ...

References

Notes

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Batteries in Malta Batteries in Malta St. Paul's Bay Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Military installations established in 1715 Buildings and structures demolished in 1924 Demolished buildings and structures in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 18th-century fortifications 1715 establishments in Malta 18th Century military history of Malta

History

Further reading

References

External links