Għallis Battery

Għallis Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Għallis), also known as Pondéves Battery,[1] was an artillery battery in Magħtab, limits of Naxxar, Malta. It was built in 1715–1716 by the Order of Saint John as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands.[2] The battery has been largely destroyed, but some remains can still be seen.

Għallis Battery
Batterija tal-Għallis
Magħtab, Naxxar, Malta
Coordinates35°56′57.9″N 14°26′45.6″E
TypeArtillery battery
Site information
OwnerGovernment of Malta
ConditionSparse remains
Site history
Built1715–1716
Built byOrder of Saint John
MaterialsLimestone

History

Għallis Battery was built in 1715–1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries in Malta. The nearest fortifications to the battery were Għallis Tower to the west and Qalet Marku Redoubt to the southeast (now demolished).

The battery had a semi-circular gun platform.[3] It was to be surrounded by a ditch, but it was only partially excavated and was never completed.

In World War II, an emplacement was built on the remains of the blockhouse, possibly for a small field gun.

Present day

Today, very little remains of the battery survive. Part of one wall of the blockhouse still exists, the partially excavated ditch, and the general outline of the battery's foundations can also be seen.

References
  1. de Boisgelin, Louis (1805). Ancient and Modern Malta: Containing a Full and Accurate Account of the Present State of the Islands of Malta and Goza, the History of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Also a Narrative of the Events which Attended the Capture of These Islands by the French, and Their Conquest by the English: and an Appendix, Containing Authentic State Papers and Other Documents - Volume II. London: Richard Phillips. p. 189.
  2. Zammit, Vincent (1984). "The Order's 18th Century Fortifications". Civilization. Ħamrun: PEG Ltd. 1: 170.
  3. Spiteri, Stephen C. "Naxxar and its fortifications". MilitaryArchitecture.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2015.


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