Saint Thomas Tower ( mt, Torri ta' San Tumas), also known as Fort Saint Thomas ( mt, Forti San Tumas), is a large bastioned

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 ...

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 in 1614, the third of six

Wignacourt towers The Wignacourt towers ( mt, Torrijiet ta' Wignacourt) are a series of large coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1620. A total of six towers of this type were constructed, four of which survive. Backgro ...

. 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 added to the tower in the early 18th century. Saint Thomas Tower is the largest watchtower in Malta.

History

Saint Thomas Tower was built above the shore on the seaward face of the headland of ''il-Ħamrija'' in

. It is a substantial fortification intended to prevent the landing of troops in the sheltered anchorages of Marsaskala Creek and St Thomas' Bay. Construction of the tower was approved in July 1614, at the time of the

Raid on Żejtun The Raid on Żejtun, also known as The Last Attack ( mt, L-aħħar ħbit), was the last major attack made by the Ottoman Empire against the island of Malta, which was then ruled by the Order of St. John. The attack took place in July 1614, wh ...

, in which an Ottoman fleet managed to land at St Thomas' Bay. The tower was named after a chapel dedicated to St Thomas, which stood close to where the tower now lies. It cost 13,450

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin ''scu ...

, 6

tarì A tarì (from Arabic طري ''ṭarī'', lit. "fresh" or "newly minted money") was the Christian designation of a type of gold coin of Islamic origin minted in Sicily, Malta and Southern Italy from about 913 to the 13th century. History In the I ...

and 4 grani to build, making it the second most expensive Wignacourt tower, after

Saint Mary's Tower Saint Mary's Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Santa Marija), also known as the Comino Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Kemmuna), is a large bastioned watchtower on the island of Comino in Malta. It was built in 1618, the fifth of six Wignacourt towers. The tower was ...

. The tower's architect is unknown. There are claims that it was designed by

Vittorio Cassar Vittorio Cassar ( mt, Vitor Cassar, 1550 – 1609), born Gio Vittorio Cassar, was a Maltese architect and military engineer. The son of the renowned architect Girolamo Cassar, he was admitted as a knight within the Order of St. John in 1587. H ...

, but these are disputed, since Cassar was probably dead when work on the tower began.

The tower has very thick walls and has four pentagonal bastioned turrets projecting outwards on each corner. The tower's entrance was through a vaulted doorway with a wooden drawbridge. The drawbridge is still partially intact and it is the only original one to have survived in Malta. The tower is surrounded by a rock-hewn ditch. After 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 ...

were built, St Thomas had Żonqor and

Xrobb l-Għaġin Tower Xrobb l-Għaġin Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Xrobb l-Għaġin), originally known as ''Torre di Siuarep'', is a ruined watchtower in Xrobb l-Għaġin, limits of Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built in 1659 as the eighth of the De Redin towers. An entrenchmen ...

s in its line of sight, but these are now either in ruins or completely demolished. In 1715, St Thomas Tower was reinforced by the addition of a battery on the seaward face. Construction of the battery cost a total of 382 scudi, 8 tarì, 11 grani and 1 piccolo, which was less than the cost of construction of other batteries around the coast. During the French blockade of 1798–1800, the tower was stormed and captured by Maltese insurgents. St Thomas' Bay- Hydrophone Listening Station Art

St Thomas' Bay- Hydrophone Listening Station Art

The tower remained in use by the British until the 19th century. The British did not make any major alterations to the tower (like they did in Saint Lucian Tower), and only some minor changes to the structure were made. At some point, the tower was also used as a prison.

Present day

Today, the town of Marsaskala has expanded, surrounding the tower with modern buildings. In 1982, the four-star

Corinthia Corinthia ( el, Κορινθία ''Korinthía'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Geography Cori ...

Jerma Palace Hotel The Jerma Palace Hotel is a former four-star hotel in Marsaskala, Malta. It was opened as a Libyan investment in 1982, and was managed by Corinthia Hotels International. It was the largest hotel in southern Malta until it closed down in 2007. Th ...

was built between the tower and the coast, effectively ruining the tower's relation with the sea. The hotel closed in 2007, and it is now in a dilapidated state. Meanwhile, the tower itself now forms the centerpiece of a plaza around its shoreward face. For some time, it was used as a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

and

pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then take ...

. In 2008, it was handed over to Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, a heritage foundation. A couple of weeks after it was handed over, the tower was cleaned of debris, and some modern structures which had been added when it was a restaurant were removed. Further restoration work was undertaken by the Restoration Unit. Plans were made to open the tower as a museum about piracy in the Mediterranean, but it has not opened yet. The battery's gun platform was also restored, and its

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

and

embrasures An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions ( merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed ou ...

were rebuilt to a design on modern interpretative lines. In 2014, the Marsaskala Local Council organized exhibitions, re-enactments and other events in the tower to commemorate its 400th anniversary.

In popular culture

*The tower is featured in the fiction book ''Il-Misteru tat-Torri San Tumas'' (The Mystery of Saint Thomas Tower) by Charles Zarb published in 2004.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Batteries in Malta Wignacourt towers Batteries in Malta Defunct prisons in Malta Defunct restaurants in Malta Buildings and structures completed in 1614 Military installations established in 1715 National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1614 establishments in Malta 1715 establishments in Malta Buildings and structures in Marsaskala

History

Present day

In popular culture

Further reading

References

External links