Charles François de Mondion (6 October 1681 – 25 December 1733) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

who was active in

Hospitaller Malta Hospitaller Malta, known in Maltese history as the Knights' Period (, ), was a '' de facto'' state which existed between 1530 and 1798 when the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo were ruled by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. It was for ...

in the early 18th century. He was also a member of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...

Career

Mondion was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and he studied military engineering under

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien is a common French given name. It is a French form of the Latin name ''Sebastianus'' meaning "from Sebaste". Sebaste was a common placename in classical Antiquity, derived from the Greek word ''σεβαστος'', or ''sebastos'', mea ...

. He first arrived in Malta in 1715 during the magistracy of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful of the Order of St. John. His early work was as deputy to the military engineer René Jacob de Tigné. One of his early works was the second Marsalforn Tower, which however no longer exists. Mondion was eventually admitted into the Order of St. John as a ''Cavaliere di Grazia'', and he obtained permanent residency in Malta. Malta-fortmanoel-square-2009

Grand Master

António Manoel de Vilhena António Manoel de Vilhena (28 May 1663 – 10 December 1736) was a Portuguese nobleman who was the 66th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736. Unlike a number of the other Grand ...

's accession in June 1722 created a significant opportunity for Mondion, as the new Prince of Malta decided to unleash an ambitious building programme. On 3 November 1722, Vilhena issued orders for the restoration of the former capital

Mdina Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...

and its fortifications, and entrusted de Mondion with this renovation. Mondion designed a number of

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

buildings in the city, including the Main Gate, the portal of Greeks Gate, the Torre dello Standardo,

Palazzo Vilhena Vilhena Palace (; ), also known as the Magisterial Palace () and Palazzo Pretorio, is a French Baroque palace in Mdina, Malta. It is named after António Manoel de Vilhena, the Grand Master who commissioned it. It was built between 1726 and 172 ...

, the Banca Giuratale and the

Corte Capitanale The Corte Capitanale is a former courthouse in Mdina, Malta, which currently serves as a city hall. It was built in the Baroque architecture, Baroque style between 1726 and 1728, to designs of the French architect Charles François de Mondion. Th ...

. Mondion was also involved in the construction or modifications of the

Floriana Lines The Floriana Lines () are a line of fortifications in Floriana, Malta, which surround the fortifications of Valletta and form the capital city's outer defences. Construction of the lines began in 1636 and they were named after the military engi ...

Fort Manoel Fort Manoel ( or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it is named. Fort Ma ...

, the

fortifications of Birgu The fortifications of Birgu () are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround the city of Birgu, Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Angelo in the Middle Ages, and the majority of the fortifications ...

and the

Santa Margherita Lines The Santa Margherita Lines (), also known as the Firenzuola Lines (), are a line of fortifications in Cospicua, Malta. They were built in the 17th and 18th centuries to protect the land front defences of the cities of Birgu and Senglea. A second ...

. He designed several gates within these fortifications, including

Porte des Bombes ''Portes des Bombes'' (, , meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called ''Porta dei Cannoni'' (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was built in 1721 as an advanced gate within the faussebraye of the Floriana ...

and St. Helen's Gate. His unexpected death in 1733 cut short a promising career. Mondion was buried in the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

of the Chapel of St Anthony of Padua within Fort Manoel.

Gallery

Porte des Bombes 1860s.jpg,

(1720–21) Marsalforn Tower 1924.jpg, Marsalforn Tower (1720–22) Birgu arch 2.jpeg, Couvre Porte Gate (1722) Birgu arch 3.jpeg, Advanced Gate (1723) Malta - Mdina - Gate+bridge+ditch 01 ies.jpg,

Mdina Gate Mdina Gate (), also known as the Main Gate or the Vilhena Gate, is the main city gate, gate into the Fortifications of Mdina, fortified city of Mdina, Malta. It was built in the Baroque architecture, Baroque style in 1724 to designs of Charles Fr ...

(1724) Mdina - Greeks Gate 20100226-1.JPG, Portal of Greeks Gate (1724) Torre dello Standardo, Turri di la bandiera.jpeg, Torre dello Standardo (1725) Entering Fort ManoelDSC 0096.jpg,

Gate (1726) Natural History Museum Mdina (6810109710).jpg,

(1726–28) Corte Capitanali Mdina, Malta.jpeg,

(1726–28) Mdina-banca-giuratale-2.JPG, Banca Giuratale (1726–28) Birgu.arch 4.jpeg, Gate of Provence (1727) 30062 Saint Helen's Gate.jpg, St. Helen's Gate (1736)

Career

Gallery

References

Further reading