| Gauci Tower | |
|---|---|
Torri Gauci | |
| Naxxar, Malta | |
 View of Gauci Tower | |
| Coordinates | 35°55′12″N14°26′33″E / 35.91987°N 14.44252°E |
| Type | Tower |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Intact |
| Site history | |
| Built | before 1548 |
| Built by | Gauci family |
| Materials | Limestone |
Gauci Tower (Maltese : Torri Gauci, Italian : Torre Gauci) is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built before 1548 by the Gauci family. Today, the tower is in good condition.
Gauci Tower was built sometime before 1548 by Francesco Gauci to protect his family from corsair raids. Construction cost a total of 400 scudi. In 1548, it was requisitioned by the Order of Saint John, who ruled the Maltese Islands, to house the Captain of the Naxxar militia. Gauci petitioned against this move, and the tower was returned to him on 16 May 1548. Eventually, the Order built the nearby Captain's Tower to house the Captain of the militia.
The tower is quite small, and it has a square plan, with its lower half being slightly more pronounced. A number of box machicolations are located at the crest of its high parapet. It also has musketry loopholes and vision slits. A townhouse, which was also built by Gauci, is located next to the tower. [1]
By the late 17th century, Gauci Tower had lost most of its defensive value. The Chapel of St. Paul was built in front of it in 1696. [2]
The tower and adjacent townhouse needed a lot of repairs and restoration, as they were uninhabited for multiple years. A lot of the construction materials had to be imported to the island. The most difficult renovation included dismantling the air-raid shelter on the ground floor of the tower, which had been used during WWII. This air-raid shelter was built by British forces during the war to protect Malta's highest judge, Sir Arturo Mercieca. In the tower, 30cm steel cement was cutting through the three arches, supported by giant pillars. On the 450th Birthday of the tower – May 16, 1998 – all restoration work was finally finished, and a ceremony led by the mayor of Naxxar led to the switching-on of the flood-light system of this beautiful tower and adjacent St. Pawl's Chapel.
António Manoel de Vilhena 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 Masters, he was benevolent and popular with the Maltese people. Vilhena is mostly remembered for the founding of Floriana, the construction of Fort Manoel and the Manoel Theatre, and the renovation of the city of Mdina.
Sliema is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the most densely populated town on the island.
Għargħur is a village in the Northern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and it has a population of 2,768 as of March 2014.
Naxxar is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxxar was formerly known for hosting the Maltese International Trade Fair at Maltese International Trade Fair Grounds.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located some 700 metres (2,300 ft) from the village of Għarb on the island of Gozo, the sister island of Malta.
Fort San Lucian, also known as Saint Lucian Tower or Fort Rohan, is a large bastioned watchtower and polygonal fort in Marsaxlokk, Malta. The original tower was built by the Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1611, being the second of six Wignacourt towers.
Fort 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 Manoel is located to the north west of Valletta, and commands Marsamxett Harbour and the anchorage of Sliema Creek. The fort is an example of Baroque architecture, and it was designed with both functionality and aesthetics in mind.
Fort Saint Elmo is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ricasoli. It is best known for its role in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.
Manikata is a small settlement in the limits of Mellieħa in the northwestern part of Malta. It oversees the farming areas in the valley between il-Ballut and il-Manikata. The village's population of 539 is spread among 40 families.
The De Redin Towers are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of mainland Malta, eight of which still survive.
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 cultural sites of historic and environmental importance and currently has the guardianship of a number of them. Many of the sites are open to visitors and for events, all thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers. The organisation promotes the preservation and protection of historic buildings and monuments, the character of Malta's towns and villages, and places of natural beauty. It is very active in campaigning against proposed construction which infringes planning laws or policies, and regularly objects to planning applications, taking legal action to halt development in some cases. The NGO stimulates the enforcement of existing laws and the enactment of new ones for the protection of Malta's natural and built heritage.
The Raid on Żejtun, also known as The Last Attack, was the last major attack made by the Ottoman Empire against the island of Malta, which was then ruled by the Order of St. John. The attack took place in July 1614, when raiders pillaged the town of Żejtun and the surrounding area before being beaten back to their ships by the Order's cavalry and by the inhabitants of the south-eastern towns and villages.
The fortifications of Malta consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, towers, batteries, redoubts, entrenchments and pillboxes. The fortifications were built over hundreds of years, from around 1450 BC to the mid-20th century, and they are a result of the Maltese islands' strategic position and natural harbours, which have made them very desirable for various powers.
The fortifications of Valletta are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround Valletta, the capital city of Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Elmo in 1552, but the fortifications of the city proper began to be built in 1566 when it was founded by Grand Master Jean de Valette. Modifications were made throughout the following centuries, with the last major addition being Fort Lascaris which was completed in 1856. Most of the fortifications remain largely intact today.
Cavalier Tower, also known as Qrendi Tower or Captain's Tower, and previously as Ellul Preziosi Tower, is a tower in the town of Qrendi, Malta. It was built in the late medieval or early Hospitaller period, and it is one of the oldest surviving towers in Malta.
Captain's Tower is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built sometime after 1548 by the Order of Saint John. Today, the tower is in good condition.
Palazzo Nasciaro is an 18th-century townhouse in Naxxar, Malta, built during the Order of St. John. The townhouse was originally built as a family home, but has undergone adaptive reuse several times to fit the changing needs of the local population.
Hompesch Hunting Lodge, also known as Id-Dar tal-Kaċċa, is an 18th-century hunting lodge in Naxxar, Malta. It is a traditional Maltese historic building with a vernacular architecture. The hunting lodge was built intentionally to be used as a hunting lodge for the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, namely Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim. Today the building is in a dilapidated state.
Ta' Cisju Farmhouse is an 18th-century farmhouse in Naxxar, Malta. The farmhouse was built in 1730 in an area known as Ħal Muselmiet, during the rule of the Order of St. John. According to the Naxxar Local Council, the building is the oldest farmhouse in the area of its type. The farmhouse has a vernacular structure with traditional Maltese architecture. The farmhouse was used for agricultural purposes but it is now a residential building.
Clemente Tabone was a Maltese landowner and militia member who is known for his courage in the Raid on Żejtun, the last major Ottoman attack on Malta, in 1614. He built a tower and a chapel on some of his lands on the outskirts of Żejtun. The tower no longer exists, but St. Clement's Chapel remains intact and is still in use today.
Historic watch towers of Malta | ||
|---|---|---|
Associated with the Order of Saint John | ||
| Wignacourt towers |  | |
| Lascaris towers | ||
| De Redin towers | ||
| Tour–Reduits | ||
| Other Hospitaller towers | ||
| Privately built | ||
^ Demolished/destroyed 1 Builder unknown or uncertain | ||