Saint Julian's Tower ( mt, Torri ta' San Ġiljan), originally known as ''Torre di San Giuliano'' and also known as Sliema Tower ( mt, Torri tas-Sliema), is a small

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...

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 completed in 1658 as the fifth of the

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 ...

. 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 ...

was built around the tower in 1715. Today, the tower and the remains of the battery are a restaurant.

History

Saint Julian's Tower was built in 1658 to protect St. Julian's Bay. It follows the standard design of the

, having a square plan with two floors and a turret on the roof. It has

Saint George's Tower Saint George's Tower ( mt, Torri ta' San Ġorġ; it, Torre San Giorgio) is a small watchtower in St. Julian's, Malta. It was built in 1638 and is one of the Lascaris towers. Today, it is located in the grounds of a hotel. History Saint Geor ...

in its line of sight to the west, and the capital

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

to its east. In 1715, a semi-circular

was built around the seaward side of the tower. Part of the battery had a parapet with four embrasures, with the rest of the parapet being ''en barbette''. A free standing wall and a

redan Redan (a French word for "projection", "salient") is a feature of fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle towards an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material. The redan developed from the lunette, ...

pierced with musketry loopholes enclosed the tower's land front, which was also protected by a shallow rock hewn ditch. In 1798, during the Maltese uprising against the French, insurgents led by

Vincenzo Borg Vincenzo Maria Borg ( mt, Ċensu Maria Borg, 1773 – 18 July 1837), also known by his nickname Brared (or ''Braret''), was a Maltese merchant who was one of the main insurgent leaders during the French blockade of 1798–1800. He was a lieutena ...

captured Saint Julian's Tower and Battery. Later on during the blockade, the battery's guns were transferred to other insurgent fortifications such as the

Corradino Batteries The Corradino Batteries ( mt, Batteriji ta' Kordin) were a series of artillery batteries on Corradino Heights, near Paola, Malta, that were built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. The batteries formed part of a cha ...

, in order to bombard the French in

. The tower gave its name to Tower Road, today one of Malta's most popular seaside promenades. In 1951, the Government of Malta affixed a marble plaque on the tower with the coat-of-arms of the GrandMaster who built it.

Present day

Today, the tower is intact and in good condition. The battery is missing its land front and redan, which have been replaced by a promenade. In addition, the parapet with embrasures has been demolished and replaced by a low boundary wall. The tower and battery are now used as a restaurant, known as ''It-Torri Restaurant''.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese IslandsYouTube video showing a 3D model of Saint Julian's Tower and Battery
{{French occupation of Malta, collapsed De Redin towers Batteries in Malta Towers completed in 1658 French occupation of Malta Restaurants in Malta Sliema National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1658 establishments in Malta

History

Present day

Further reading

References

External links