Arrias Battery (), also known as Xemxija Battery () or Pwales Left Battery (), is an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

Xemxija Xemxija (, pronounced ''shem-shee-ya'') is a suburb in the western part of St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region, Malta. It is a quiet resort, surrounded by the countryside and some of the most fertile valleys in Malta. There is also a picturesq ...

, limits of

St. Paul's Bay Saint Paul's Bay () is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Region. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. As per the 2021 population census, it has also ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. 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 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands. The battery still exists, although it has modern alterations, and it is used as a restaurant.

History

Arrias Battery was built in 1715–1716 as part of the Order of Saint John's first building program of batteries and redoubts around the coasts of Malta. It was one of two batteries defending

Bay, the other one being the now-demolished

Dellia Battery Dellia Battery (), also known as Vendôme Battery () or Pwales Right Battery (), was an artillery battery in Xemxija Bay, limits of St. Paul's Bay, Malta. It was built by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John in 1715 as one of a series of c ...

. The battery originally consisted of a mostly rectangular platform with a rounded end at the north. It had a low parapet with one embrasure, and the gorge was closed off by a rectangular blockhouse. The redoubt was named after the knight Emmanuele Arrias, and an inscription commemorating him is located above the main entrance. The battery eventually became a summer residence of the Borg Cardona family. They called it ''ix-Xemxija'' and later, the area around it began to be referred to by that name.

Present day

The battery still exists, but several alterations have been made to the structure, mostly during the course of the 20th century. These include a second-floor added to the blockhouse and a flight of steps leading to an entrance facing the sea. The battery is now used as a restaurant, known as ''The Fortress Wine & Dine''. It is a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mon ...

References

Notes

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Artillery battery fortifications in Malta Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Restaurants in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 18th-century fortifications 1715 establishments in Malta Military installations established in 1715 Buildings and structures in St. Paul's Bay 18th Century military history of Malta {{Malta-stub