Mġarr ix-Xini Tower () is the largest of the coastal

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

s that the

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

erected on the island of

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

. It watches over the entrance to the bay of Mġarr ix-Xini, limits of

Għajnsielem Għajnsielem (; meaning "Spring of Sielem") is a municipality on the southeastern coast of the island of Gozo in Malta, including the entire island of Comino. It has a population of 3,200 residents (as of March 2014), and is the first Gozitan vil ...

, which lies on Gozo's south-west coast. It was completed in 1661, and its design is similar to the

De Redin towers The De Redin Towers () 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), mainland Malta to act as watchto ...

that were commissioned by Grand Master Martin de Redin. Wirt Għawdex, a heritage NGO, has restored the tower. It is open to the public. It is one of four surviving coastal watchtowers on Gozo, with the others being Xlendi Tower, Dwejra Tower, and Isopu Tower. The Garzes and Marsalforn towers were destroyed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

Mġarr ix-Xini Tower was completed by June 1661, to a plan by Mederico Blondel. It cost an estimated 857 scudi, which were financed by the Università of Gozo. The design is similar to the

on mainland Malta, having a square plan with two floors. However, the design differed since its entrance was approached by a flight of steps and a drawbridge, unlike the other towers which had a retractable ladder. The tower has

Santa Cecilia Tower Santa Cecilia Tower ( or ''ta' Santa Ċilja'') is a tower in Għajnsielem, Gozo, Malta. It was built in 1613 by a member of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of St. John, and it could relay messages across the island. The tower remains in good condi ...

(built 1613) and Saint Mary's Tower (built 1618) in its line of sight. It was originally manned by a castellan and a bombardier, but was no longer permanently manned by 1785 since the Ottoman threat had receded. It was rearmed with two 6-pounder iron guns in 1792.

Present day

The tower was restored in 2000 by the Ministry for Gozo and Wirt Għawdex. A path leading to the tower from the bay was also reopened, enabling visitors to enjoy the walk to the tower. Other restoration works were carried out in 2008, and restoration was finally completed in 2009. The tower is now open to the public on Saturdays.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mgarr ix-Xini Tower Towers completed in 1661 Xewkija Għajnsielem National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1661 establishments in Malta

History

Present day

Further reading

References

External links