Mamo Tower ( mt, Torri Mamo), also known as San Tommaso Tower ( mt, Torri Ta' Mamu), is a fortified residence in

Marsaskala Marsaskala ( mt, Wied il-Għajn), also written as Marsascala and abbreviated as M'Skala, is a seaside town in the South Eastern Region of Malta which has grown around the small harbour at the head of Marsaskala Bay, a long, narrow inlet also know ...

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 Mamo family in 1657 on rising ground above St Thomas Bay on the east shore of Malta.

History

Mamo Tower was built in 1657 as a fortified residence for the Mamo family, who owned land in the area. It was started by Gregorio Mamo but was finished by his son Giorgio, both of whom were professional builders who were also responsible for the construction of a number of the Order of Saint John's fortifications in Malta. The tower's shape is a St. Andrew's Cross with sixteen sides. The hall in the centre of the tower is bombproof, while the upper floor was left unfinished. The whole tower is surrounded by a 2 metre deep dry ditch, and while this was being excavated a Phoenician or Roman tomb was discovered. The tower does not have musketry loopholes or other defensive features, but it was strong enough to protect the Mamo family and up to 80 farmers from the surrounding fields in a short raid by

Barbary corsairs The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

who landed at St Thomas Bay. Malta mamo tower two

Mamo tower was integrated into the Order's coastal defence system (along with Wignacourt,

Lascaris The Laskaris or Lascaris ( el, Λάσκαρις, later Λάσκαρης) family was a Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek noble family whose members formed the ruling dynasty of the Empire of Nicaea from 1204 to 1261 and remained among the senior no ...

and

De Redin towers The De Redin Towers ( mt, Torrijiet ta' De Redin) are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of Malta (island), mainl ...

) and contemporary paintings show it flying the Order's flag. About 50 metres away from the tower, the Mamo family also built a small chapel dedicated to

Saint Cajetan Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (6 October 1480 – 7 August 1547), known as Saint Cajetan (), was an Italian Catholic priest and religious reformer, co-founder of the Theatines. He is recognised as a saint in the Catholic Church, and his feast day i ...

. The chapel was built in the same year as the tower. Over the years the tower had many different owners. It was eventually inherited by

Lord Strickland Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland, (24 May 1861 – 22 August 1940) was a Maltese and British politician and peer, who served as Prime Minister of Malta, Governor of the L ...

, who later sold it. The tower was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. With the beginning of

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 ...

, the British military requisitioned the tower in 1940 and used it as a Regional Headquarters. In support of this role, they constructed a

pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military) A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, norm ...

on the roof. Machine gun emplacements were also built on the roof. The tower was eventually leased to a family from

Żejtun Żejtun ( mt, Iż-Żejtun ) is a city in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at end 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, F ...

and was used as a private house until 1987, when the poor condition of the building rendered it unsuitable for habitation.

Present day

The tower was subsequently acquired by

Din l-Art Ħelwa () is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese Judge Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Since its foundation, Din l-Art Ħelwa has restored numerous ...

, the National Trust of Malta, who restored it between 1994 and 1995. During the restoration, the pillbox was removed. The tower has been open to the public since 2003. It is now open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It is also occasionally used for re-enactments.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Historic Watch Towers of Malta Fortified towers in Malta Buildings and structures completed in 1657 Fortified houses in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1657 establishments in Malta 17th-century fortifications Buildings and structures in Marsaskala