The Birgu Clock Tower ( mt, It-Torri tal-Arloġġ tal-Birgu), also called the ''Vittoriosa Clock Tower'' and originally the Civic Clock Tower, was a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

Birgu Birgu ( mt, Il-Birgu , it, Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ("''Victorious City''"), is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of ...

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 located in Victory Square, the city's main square, and it was a prominent landmark in Birgu and the rest of the

Three Cities The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. ...

. The tower was probably built in the Middle Ages, although some sources state that it was constructed in 1549. It served as a

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 ...

since it had views over the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...

and the surrounding countryside, and it saw use during the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...

in 1565. A clock was installed in the tower in the 17th century. The building was destroyed by aerial bombardment during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Some of its foundations still exist, and plans have been made for rebuilding the structure.

History

The Birgu Clock Tower is believed to have been built in the medieval period. It was built as a

, and it had views of the

and the surrounding countryside. An alarm bell was installed in the tower in 1504. Following the arrival of the

Order of St. 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 headqu ...

in Malta, their coat of arms and the date 1549 were inscribed on the façade. According to some sources, the tower was rebuilt at this point. According to

Francisco Balbi di Correggio Francisco Balbi di Correggio (16 March 1505 – 12 December 1589), born in Correggio in the province of Province of Reggio Emilia, Italy, was an arquebusier who served with the Spanish contingent during the Great Siege of Malta. Little is known ab ...

, Grand Master

Jean Parisot de Valette Fra' Jean "Parisot" de la Valette (4 February 1495 – 21 August 1568) was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller, joining the order in the ''Langue de Pr ...

used the tower for surveillance during the

in 1565. Following the transfer of the capital city from Birgu to

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...

, in 1572 the Order sold part of the tower to a family from

Għaxaq Għaxaq ( mt, Ħal Għaxaq, ) is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 4,722 people as of March 2014. It is mainly a residential area surrounded by land used for agricultural purposes. The village's name is probably re ...

, who used it as a private residence. The upper parts of the tower remained public property. A clock was placed on the tower's top floor in 1629 that was built to the designs of Antonio Garsin, during the magistracy of

Antoine de Paule Fra' Antoine de Paule (c. 1551 – 9 June 1636) was elected the 56th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (the Order of Malta) on 10 March 1623. He died on Malta thirteen years later, on 9 June 1636, after a long illness and at the age of 85 ...

, and this was commemorated by a Latin inscription on the tower which read; In 1921, a marble tablet commemorating Malta's new constitution was affixed to the tower. The tower was included on the Antiquities List of 1925.

Destruction

During

, Birgu was heavily bombarded by Italian and German bombers due to its proximity to the

Malta Dockyard Malta Dockyard was an important naval base in the Grand Harbour in Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. The infrastructure which is still in operation is now operated by Palumbo Shipyards. History Pre-1800 The Knights of Malta established dockyard ...

. On 4 April 1942, a bomb fell close to the tower. Part of the structure collapsed on the night between 11 and 12 April due to the damage sustained. The remaining part of the tower was hit again two weeks later, causing further damage. The ruins were completely demolished in October 1944. Most of the mechanism of the clock still exist, and it is in storage at the local council premises. The clock's hands are displayed at the Church Museum in Birgu and

Palazzo Falson Palazzo Falson, formerly known as Palazzo Cumbo-Navarra, Casa dei Castelletti, and the Norman House, is a medieval townhouse in Mdina, Malta. It was purposely built as a family residence by the Maltese nobility, and it is named after the Falson ...

Mdina Mdina ( mt, L-Imdina ; phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤈, Maleṭ; grc, Μελίττη, Melíttē; ar, مدينة, Madīnah; ), also known by its Italian-language titles ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortified city in the Northern Region of Ma ...

Plans for reconstruction

The debate as to whether or not to rebuild the tower began soon after its destruction. The Historical and Cultural Society of Vittoriosa organized a meeting requesting the rebuilding of the tower on 19 December 1954. In 2004, part of the tower's foundations consisting of original cut rock on site was uncovered during an archaeological excavation by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. This find caused a dispute among Birgu residents as to whether the tower should be rebuilt or not. Some argued that it is a historical site which deserves to be rebuilt, while others said that it would not be the same as the original, and it would take up scarce parking spaces. In the budget of 2006, the

Government of Malta A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

voted funds for rebuilding the tower. The Birgu Local Council agreed on rebuilding it during a council meeting on 26 April 2007, and submitted a development permit to construct the replica. In January 2015, The Alfred Mizzi Foundation announced that it will finance the reconstruction of the tower, to coincide with the 450th anniversary of the 1565 siege. The replica is estimated to cost around €300,000. This move was welcomed by the Birgu Local Council and the Ministry of Infrastructure. In July 2015, Birgu mayor John Boxall announced that a referendum might be held among Birgu residents in order to decide whether or not to rebuild the tower.

Architecture

The tower had a quadrilateral plan, and it was around high. It had five floors of different heights, with a balcony supported on corbels surrounding the fourth floor. A small turret was located on one corner of the tower.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Birgu Clock towers in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta Buildings and structures demolished in 1942 Buildings and structures in Malta destroyed during World War II Demolished buildings and structures in Malta Former towers 1942 disestablishments in Malta