Balbani Battery
| Balbani Battery | |
|---|---|
| Batterija ta' Balbani | |
| Birżebbuġa, Malta | |
| Coordinates | 35°48′58.2″N 14°32′21.4″E / 35.816167°N 14.539278°E |
| Type | Artillery battery |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1721 |
| Built by | Order of Saint John |
| Materials | Limestone |
| Fate | Demolished |
Balbani Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Balbani), also known as Bengħisa Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Bengħisa) or Saint Catherine's Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Santa Katarina),[1] was an artillery battery in Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in on commands by Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca and completed in 1721[2] It was one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands.[3]
Balbani Battery was part of a chain of fortifications that defended Marsaxlokk Bay, which also included six other batteries, the large Saint Lucian Tower, two smaller De Redin towers, four redoubts and three entrenchments.[4] The nearest fortifications to Balbani Battery were Bengħisa Tower to the south and Fresnoy Redoubt to the west. Construction of the battery cost 1855 scudi.[5] The mastermind of the battery was architect Burlemarch and at its completion it was armed with eight cannons.[2] It had a pentagonal platform with a blockhouse at the rear, which was also defended by a redan.
The battery was demolished, and its site is now occupied by part of the Malta Freeport.[6]
References
- ↑ Farrugia Randon, Stanley (2015). Heritage Saved – Din l-Art Ħelwa – 1965–2015. Luqa: Miller Distributors Ltd. p. 119. ISBN 9789995752132.
- 1 2 Guillaumier, Alfie (2005). Bliet u Rħula Maltin. Volume 2. Klabb Kotba Maltin. p. 93. ISBN 99932-39-40-2, ISBN 99932-39-41-0.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Vendôme Tower" (PDF). Mare Nostrum. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ Spiteri, Stephen C. (18 October 2010). "St. Thomas Tower and Battery". MilitaryArchitecture.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ "About Birzebbuga". birzebbuga.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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