Cavalier Tower (), also known as Qrendi Tower () or Captain's Tower (), and previously as Ellul Preziosi Tower (), is a

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

in the town of

Qrendi Qrendi () is a village in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta, with a population of 3,148 people as of October 2021. It is located close to Mqabba, Żurrieq and Siġġiewi. Within its boundaries are the two Neolithic temples of ...

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 in the late medieval or early

Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

period, and is one of the oldest surviving towers in Malta.

History

No records exist on the date of construction of Cavalier Tower. It was possibly built in the late medieval period, when Malta was still part of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

. If this is correct, it would be the only surviving medieval tower in Malta, apart from the ruins of a circular tower in

Xlendi Xlendi is an urban village in Malta situated in the south-west of the island of Gozo. It is surrounded by the villages of Munxar, Fontana, Gozo, Fontana and Kerċem. The village is administered by Munxar, but has its own coat of arms and motto. ...

. Other historians believe that the tower was built in the 16th or 17th century 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 ...

. It is situated near a 16th-century property, built in 1585. In the 17th century, the tower and residence were modified, when the tower lost most of its defensive architecture. Cavalier Tower was named as such since it housed a Captain () of the Order. The tower has an octagonal plan, and it is the only one in Malta with such a design. It is three stories high, and has cordons between each floor. A number of box

machicolation In architecture, a machicolation () is an opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement through which defenders could target attackers who had reached the base of the defensive wall. A smaller related structure that only protects key ...

s supported on

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

s are located at the crest of its

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

. The tower's main entrance is located in an adjacent medieval residence, which was originally a mill room or a chapel. The tower is surrounded by a cluster of contemporary buildings and courtyards, which have been called "one of the most interesting examples of architectural development" in Malta. In the early 20th century, an underground air shelter was excavated beneath the property to be used during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

The tower was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. It is also a Grade 1 scheduled building and list 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 ...

Present day

Today, Cavalier Tower is in good condition. It is a private residence owned by former MP

Marlene Farrugia Marlene Farrugia (born 24 July 1966) is a Maltese former Member of Parliament and former leader of the Democratic Party. Previously she had been a member of the Nationalist Party, with whom she contested the General Elections in 1996 and 1998, ...

and is not open to the public. A permission to restore the residence, incorporating the tower, was granted by the

Planning Authority A local planning authority (LPA) is the local government body that is empowered by law to exercise urban planning functions for a particular area. They exist in the United Kingdom and India. United Kingdom Mineral planning authorities The role ...

in 2011. It is currently for sale at approximately €4 million.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Historic Watch Towers of Malta Fortified towers in Malta Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Qrendi Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands

History

Present day

Further reading

References

External links