Portes des Bombes | |
---|---|
Bieb il-Bombi | |
Former names | Porta dei Cannoni |
General information | |
Status | Intact |
Type | Gate |
Architectural style | Baroque |
Location | Floriana, Malta |
Coordinates | 35°53′25.6″N14°30′7.5″E / 35.890444°N 14.502083°E |
Completed | 1721 |
Renovated | 1868 |
Cost | 6000 scudi |
Renovation cost | £900 |
Owner | Government of Malta |
Technical details | |
Material | Limestone |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Charles François de Mondion |
Renovating team | |
Architect(s) | Col. E. W. Dunford |
Portes des Bombes (Maltese : Bieb il-Bombi, Italian : Porta delle Bombe, meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called Porta dei Cannoni (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was originally built in 1721 as an advanced gate within the faussebraye of the Floriana Lines, and it was enlarged with the construction of a second archway in 1868. The ramparts on either side of the gate have since been demolished, leaving the gate looking like a triumphal arch. [1]
Construction of the Floriana Lines began in 1636, but works proceeded slowly and the lines were only completed in the early 18th century. The lines had a large bastioned land front with outworks and a faussebraye. Porte des Bombes was built in 1720–21 within the faussebraye, being constructed to designs of the French architect Charles François de Mondion [2] at a cost of 6,000 scudi. [3] The gate originally had a single arch, and it served as Floriana's outer entrance, leading to the town's main gate Porta Sant'Anna. [4] It was originally protected by a lunette. [5]
Porte des Bombes was captured by French soldiers during the French invasion of Malta in June 1798. [6] At this point the Maltese insurgents opened fire in its direction, to challenge the occupants, which had left significant bullet marks on the front. [7]
In the mid-19th century the British government enlarged the gate by adding a second archway to accommodate the increasingly heavy traffic in the Grand Harbour area. [8] This enlargement was designed by the architect Col. E. W. Dunford of the Royal Engineers, [3] and it cost a total of £900. The second gate was inaugurated on 17 August 1868, during the governorship of Sir Patrick Grant. [6]
In the early 20th century, some of the ornamentation in the archways was removed so as to enable trams to pass through the gate. The lunette outside the gate was subsequently demolished to make way for a new road, [5] while the ramparts on either side of the gate were demolished in the 1930s to cope with the increasing volume of traffic. [3] These alterations resulted in the gate losing its legibility as part of the Floriana Lines, making it look like a triumphal arch. [9]
The gate was restored between September 2002 and March 2003, at a cost of Lm 55,000. The restoration works also included the installation of a lighting system. The gate was vandalized in May 2005 when burnt oil was daubed on it, but the damage was cleaned within a couple of days. [8] The gate is considered, by the police force, as a high street hazard for passing vehicles. [10] On 24 October 2012, there was some damage when an Arriva bus skidded into it and two other buses later crashed into the first bus and 22 passengers were injured. However the damaged part of the gate was repaired a few days later. [11]
The gate and the rest of the Floriana Lines were included on the Antiquities List of 1925. [12] It is now scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. [9]
The gate is occasionally open to the public, such as in October as part of the festivities of Notte Bianca. [13]
Porte des Bombes was built in the Baroque style. The gate originally had a single arch, but the second arch on the left is a 19th-century addition. Each arched entrance is flanked by carved cannons, which gave the gate its original name Porta dei Cannoni, and each cannon has a relief of a coat of arms. The four cannons which formed part of the original gate bear the arms of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, while the two cannons on the second arch bear the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The gate has a cornice above a row of carved Maltese crosses. Above the cornice are escutcheons bearing the coats of arms of the Order of St. John, Grand Master Perellos, and the United Kingdom, as well as two marble plaques with Latin inscriptions. The plaque on the right side of the gate reads: [6] [14] [15]
DVM THRACES VBIQUE PVGNO
(meaning While I fight the Turks everywhere, I am secure in my seat – 1721)
IN SEDE SIC TVTA CONSTO
MDCCXXI
The plaque on the left side reads: [6]
AD MAJOREM POPVLI
(meaning For the greater convenience of the public – 1868)
COMMODITATEM
MDCCCLXVIII
Three trophies, the central one bearing Perellos' arms, are found at the top of the gate. These all formed part of the original gate, but they were relocated when it was enlarged. [9]
Just outside the gate there are two pillars bearing stone balls fashioned as large water carriers with handles and a spout. These are known as Bomblu in Maltese and gave the gate its present name Porte des Bombes. [16]
Porte des Bombes is one of only two gates in Malta which bear representations of life-sized artillery pieces, the other one being St. Helen's Gate which was built in 1736. [17]
Floriana, also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana is the birthplace of many famous Maltese, amongst which the composer of the national anthem, 'L-Innu Malti', Robert Samut; former Bishop of Malta Dun Mauro Caruana, the poets Oliver Friggieri and Maria Grech Ganado, the writer and politician Herbert Ganado and Swedish Idol winner Kevin Borg.
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.
The Tritons’ Fountain is a fountain located just outside the City Gate of Valletta, Malta. It consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a large basin, balanced on a concentric base built out of concrete and clad in travertine slabs. The fountain is one of Malta's most important Modernist landmarks.
City Gate is a gate located at the entrance of Valletta, Malta. The present gate, which is the fifth one to have stood on the site, was built between 2011 and 2014 to designs of the Italian architect Renzo Piano.
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Charles François de Mondion was a French architect and military engineer who was active in Hospitaller Malta in the early 18th century. He was also a member of the Order of Saint John.
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 engineer who designed them, Pietro Paolo Floriani. The Floriana Lines were modified throughout the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, and they saw use during the French blockade of 1798–1800. Today, the fortifications are still largely intact but rather dilapidated and in need of restoration.
The Wignacourt Aqueduct is a 17th-century aqueduct in Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta. The aqueduct carried water through underground pipes and over arched viaducts across depressions in the ground.
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.
The fortifications of Mdina are a series of defensive walls which surround the former capital city of Mdina, Malta. The city was founded as Maleth by the Phoenicians in around the 8th century BC, and it later became part of the Roman Empire under the name Melite. The ancient city was surrounded by walls, but very few remains of these have survived.
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 were built between the 16th and 18th centuries by the Order of Saint John. Most of the fortifications remain largely intact today.
The Wignacourt Arch known as the Fleur-De-Lys Gate is an ornamental arch located on the boundary between Fleur-de-Lys and Santa Venera, Malta. The arch was originally built in 1615 as part of the Wignacourt Aqueduct, but it was destroyed between 1943 and 1944. A replica of the arch was constructed in 2015 and inaugurated on 28 April 2016.
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Fawwara Gate, also known as Gzira Gate, Sliema Gate, Testaferrata Gate and Tower Gate, is a late 18th-century archway built during the rule of the Order of St. John in Gżira, Malta. The archway was built as a commemoration of a new principal main road that is set on a long stretch of lands from Msida to Sliema; today being two roads namely Msida Road and Rue d'Argens.
Victoria Gate is a city gate in Valletta, Malta. It was built by the British in 1885, and was named after Queen Victoria. The gate is the main entrance into the city from the Grand Harbour area, which was once the busiest part of the city. The gate is located between Marina Curtain and St. Barbara Bastion, on the site of the 16th-century Del Monte Gate.
Mdina Gate, also known as the Main Gate or the Vilhena Gate, is the main gate into the fortified city of Mdina, Malta. It was built in the Baroque style in 1724 to designs of Charles François de Mondion, during the magistracy of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena.
The Greeks Gate is a gate into the fortified city of Mdina, Malta. The gate was originally built in the medieval period, and its outer portal was built in the Baroque style in 1724 by Charles François de Mondion. Despite this, the rear part of its gate retains its original form, making it one of the few visible remains of Mdina's medieval walls.
St. Helen's Gate, also known as Porta dei Mortari, is the main gate of the Santa Margherita Lines, located in Cospicua, Malta. It was built in the Baroque style in 1736 to designs of Charles François de Mondion, during the magistracy of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena.
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