Ramla Redoubt ( mt, Ridott tar-Ramla), also known as Vendôme Redoubt ( mt, Ridott ta' Vendôme), was a redoubt in

Ramla Bay Ramla Bay (, "red sands") is a bay with a beach of reddish-coloured sand in Gozo, in the Maltese Islands. It lies on the north-east coast of the island, between the bays of Marsalforn and San Blas. The closest village is Xagħra. Planning permis ...

, limits of Xagħra on the island of

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

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 Order of Saint John in 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands. The redoubt no longer exists, but a small part of its foundations are still visible.

History

Ramla Redoubt was built in 1715–1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries and redoubts in Malta. It was located in the centre of Ramla Bay. The bay included other fortifications, namely Ramla Left Battery and Ramla Right Battery on the either side of the bay, and an entrenchment wall linking both batteries with the redoubt. Ramla Bay was further defended by

Marsalforn Tower Marsalforn Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Marsalforn) refers to two towers that stood near Marsalforn, in the limits of Xagħra, Gozo, Malta. The first one was built in 1616, as the fourth of six Wignacourt towers, and collapsed in around 1715. The second ...

on the plateau above the bay, and an underwater barrier to prevent enemy ships from landing within the bay. The redoubt originally consisted of a pentagonal platform with a low parapet. A rectangular

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

was located at the centre of its gorge. In 1881, a statue of the Madonna was built on the site of the redoubt.

Present day

Today, all that remains of the redoubt is a small section of its pentagonal platform near the base of the 19th century statue. These remains, along with the rest of Ramla Bay, are managed by the Gaia Foundation.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Redoubts in Malta Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Military installations established in 1715 Demolished buildings and structures in Malta Xagħra Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 18th-century fortifications 1715 establishments in Malta 18th Century military history of Malta {{Malta-struct-stub