Sopu Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Sopu), also known as Isopu Tower, San Blas Tower or ''Torre Nuova'', 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 ...

situated on the cliff between San Blas and Daħlet Qorrot in

Nadur Nadur ( mt, In-Nadur) is an administrative unit of Malta, located in the eastern part of the island of Gozo. Nadur is built on a plateauand is one of the largest localities in Gozo. Known as the 'second city', it spreads along a high ridge to t ...

, Gozo,

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 ...

. Isopu Tower was the last watchtower to be built in Malta, apart from the '' tour-reduits'' of the 18th century. It is one of four surviving towers on Gozo, with the others being

Xlendi Tower Xlendi Tower ( mt, Torri tax-Xlendi) is a small watchtower near Xlendi Bay, within the limits of Munxar on the island of Gozo in Malta. The tower is one of the Lascaris towers and dates to 1650; it is currently undergoing restoration. It is the ...

Dwejra Tower Dwejra Tower ( mt, Torri tad-Dwejra) is a small watchtower in Dwejra Bay, San Lawrenz, which is on the island of Gozo in Malta. It was completed in 1652, and is part of the Lascaris towers. Today, it is in good condition and is open to the p ...

and

Mġarr ix-Xini Tower Mġarr ix-Xini Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Mġarr ix-Xini) is the largest of the coastal watchtowers that the Knights of Malta erected on the island of Gozo. It watches over the entrance to the bay of Mġarr ix-Xini, limits of Għajnsielem, which lie ...

History

Isopu Tower was built by the Order of Saint John in 1667 during the reign of Grandmaster

Nicolas Cotoner Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

at the expense of the Università of Gozo. The latter paid for its garrison but artillery was supplied by the Order itself. The tower is square in shape, and the design is similar to the Xlendi and Dwejra Towers. The walls are thick with inward slopes. The tower has a high barrel vault with the middle floor resting on rib arches. A spiral staircase provides access to the various floors. The main doorway had four escutcheons with coats of arms of the Order and the Gozo Università, and the personal arms of Cotoner and the Governor of Gozo. By 1785 the tower was not permanently manned, but in 1792 it was rearmed with four 6-pounder iron guns. It was the only small coastal watchtower which actually tried to resist the French invasion of 1798 when it fired its guns on the approaching French fleet.

Present day

By the early 21st century, the tower was in a state of disrepair. Parts of it had weathered while most of the interior had already collapsed. The tower was restored 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 ...

and the Nadur Local Council between 2003 and 2006. The restoration work was carried out by hand by Leli Saliba and his son. The spiral staircase was completely rebuilt from scratch, as were the roof and most of the interior. Only one of the original arches had survived, and it was used as a model on which to rebuild the roof. The restored tower was reopened on 20 August 2006. Nowadays, the tower is open for visitors on three Sundays in every month, but plans are underway to convert it into a visitor centre as part of a nature trail in the area. The area around the tower has been designated as a special conservation area.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Historic Watch Towers of Malta Fortified towers in Malta Towers completed in 1667 Nadur Limestone buildings in Malta Hospitaller fortifications in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1667 establishments in Malta 17th-century fortifications