Vendôme Tower (, colloquially ''Torri tal-Vandomu'') is a '' tour-reduit'' in

Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishing and history. As of March 2014, the village had a populati ...

, Malta. It was built by 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 ...

in 1715 as one of a series of fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. It is the only surviving ''tour-reduit'' in Malta. Today, Vendôme Tower houses the headquarters of

Marsaxlokk F.C. Marsaxlokk Football Club is a Malta, Maltese professional association football, football club from the town of Marsaxlokk, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League, BOV Premier League. The club was founded in 1949. Marsaxlokk won the ...

The ''tour-reduit'' is also known by several other names, including Vendôme Redoubt (), Qrajten Redoubt or Craite Redoubt () and Fisheries Redoubt.

History

Vendôme Tower was built between 1715 and 1716 as part of the Order of Saint John's first building program of coastal fortifications. It was one of four ''tour-reduits'' built in Malta, with the other three being Fresnoy Redoubt, Spinola Redoubt and Marsalforn Tower. However, the others were all demolished, leaving Vendôme Tower as the only one of its kind. The tower was named after Philippe de Vendôme, the Grand Prior of France. He was the military advisor who advocated for the building of many batteries and redoubts in Malta. In fact, a number of other batteries and redoubts are also known by the name ''Vendôme Battery'' or ''Vendôme Redoubt''. The structure is essentially a tower-like

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 ...

with a square plan. It has sloping walls topped by a parapet, and the walls are pierced with musketry loopholes. The structure was originally surrounded by a ditch, with a drawbridge leading to the main entrance. However, the ditch no longer exists. The interior of the tower consists of two rooms and a staircase leading to the roof. A chapel was also located in the tower. The tower was intended to prevent enemy ships from landing at Marsaxlokk Bay. It was part of a chain of fortifications defending the bay, which also included the large Saint Lucian Tower, two smaller

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 ...

, seven coastal batteries, four redoubts and three entrenchments.

Present day

Today, Vendôme Tower is used as the headquarters of

, and it is not open to the public. The southern and western walls are in need of restoration.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vendome Tower Redoubts in Malta Fortified towers in Malta Marsaxlokk Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Military installations established in 1715 Marsaxlokk F.C. Headquarters in Malta 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