The Floriana Lines () are a line of
fortification
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
s in
Floriana
Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...
,
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 ...
, which surround the
fortifications of Valletta
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 p ...
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
Pietro Paolo Floriani (26 April 1585 – 27 May 1638) was an Italian engineer and architect who designed military and theatrical buildings.
Life and work
Floriani was born on 26 April 1585 in the town of Macerata to Pompeo Floriani and Claudia R ...
. 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 Floriana Lines are considered to be among the most complicated and elaborate of the Hospitaller
fortifications of Malta
The fortifications of Malta consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, Watchtower, towers, Artillery battery, batteries, redoubts, Entrenchment (fortification), entrenchments and Pillbox (military), pillboxes. The fortifications we ...
.
[ Since 1998, they have been on the tentative list of ]UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s, as part of the ''Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta''.
History
Background, controversy and construction
The city of Valletta
Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
was founded on 28 March 1566 by Jean de Valette
Fra' Jean "Parisot" de (la) Valette (; – 21 August 1568) was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. As a Knight Hospitaller, joining the order in the , he fought with distinct ...
, the Grand Master of the Order of St. John
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 ...
. The city occupied about half the Sciberras Peninsula, a large promontory separating the Grand Harbour
The Grand Harbour (; ), also known as the Port of Marsa, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, and fortifications.
Description
The h ...
from Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...
, and was protected by ''tracce italiane'' fortifications
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
, including a land front with four bastion
A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
s, two cavaliers
The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...
and a deep ditch
A ditch is a small to moderate trench created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ...
. Although these fortifications were well designed, by the early 17th century they were not strong enough to resist a large attack due to new technological developments which increased the range of artillery.[
In 1634, there were fears that the Ottomans would attack Malta. Grand Master ]Antoine de Paule
Fra' Antoine de Paule (c. 1551 – 9 June 1636) was elected the 56th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (the Order of Malta) on 10 March 1623. He died on Malta thirteen years later, on 9 June 1636, after a long illness and at the age of 85. ...
asked Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
for help in improving the island's fortifications. The Pope sent Pietro Paolo Floriani
Pietro Paolo Floriani (26 April 1585 – 27 May 1638) was an Italian engineer and architect who designed military and theatrical buildings.
Life and work
Floriani was born on 26 April 1585 in the town of Macerata to Pompeo Floriani and Claudia R ...
to examine the defences, who in 1635 proposed building a second line of fortifications around the Valletta Land Front. Some members of the Order and a number of military engineers strongly opposed these plans, since the large garrison needed to man the lines was deemed too expensive. Eventually De Paule decided to construct the lines, since it would have been improper to disagree with the Pope's military engineer. The Bailiff Gattinara resigned from his post in the Commission of Fortifications in protest.
Work on the lines began in 1636,[ but no ceremony was carried out to commemorate laying the ]foundation stone
A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
due to controversy surrounding the construction. Since fortification was expensive, the new Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris
Giovanni Paolo Lascaris di Ventimiglia e Castellar ( Maltese: ''Laskri'') (28 June 156014 August 1657) was an Italian nobleman and Grand Master of the Knights of Malta.
Early life
Lascaris was born on 28 June 1560, the second son of Giannetto ...
imposed a new tax on immovable property. This tax created dispute between the Order and the clergy, who protested to the Pope. Some priests also influenced the population to take part in a national protest, but plans leaked out to authorities and the leaders were arrested.[
The fortifications were named the Floriana Lines after their architect.] By June 1640, the lines were considered partially defensible, although still incomplete.
Improvements and modifications
Fears of an Ottoman attack rose again after the fall of Candia in 1669, and the following year Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner
Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to:
People Given name
* Nicolas (given name)
Mononym
* Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer
* Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer
Surname Nicolas
* Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...
invited the military engineer Antonio Maurizio Valperga to improve the fortifications. At the time the Floriana Lines were still under construction, and a number of weak points had been identified in their original design, especially since the demi-bastions forming the two extremities of the land front were too acute and could not be well defended. Valperga attempted to correct these flaws by making a number of alterations to San Salvatore Bastion on the western end of the lines, and constructing a faussebraye
A faussebraye () is a defensive wall located outside the main walls of a fortification. It is of a lower height than the main walls, and is preceded by a ditch. In Greek and Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Em ...
around the entire land front and a crowned hornwork
A hornwork is an element of the Italian bastion system of fortification. Its face is flanked with a pair of half-bastions. It is distinguished from a crownwork, because crownworks contain full bastions at their centers. They are both outwork ...
near the eastern end.[ In the 1680s some minor modifications were made by the Flemish engineer Carlos de Grunenbergh.][
Work on Valperga's modifications to the lines progressed slowly, and by the beginning of the 18th century the ]outwork
An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponier
A caponier is a type of defensive structur ...
s, glacis
A glacis (, ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More generally, a glaci ...
and enceinte
Enceinte (from Latin ''incinctus'' "girdled, surrounded") is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the positio ...
facing Marsamxett were still unfinished.[ Works continued under a number of other engineers, including ]Charles François de Mondion
Charles François de Mondion (6 October 1681 – 25 December 1733) 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.
Career
Mondion was bo ...
, and the lines were largely complete when Porte des Bombes
''Portes des Bombes'' (, , meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called ''Porta dei Cannoni'' (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was built in 1721 as an advanced gate within the faussebraye of the Floriana ...
was constructed in 1721.[ Further alterations were made over the following decades, such as the construction of the Northern Entrenchment in the 1730s.][
In 1724, the suburb of ]Floriana
Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...
was founded in the area between the Floriana Lines and the Valletta Land Front. The suburb was named Borgo Vilhena after Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena
António Manoel de Vilhena (28 May 1663 – 10 December 1736) 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 ...
, but it was commonly known as Floriana.[ It is now a town in its own right.
]
French occupation and British rule
French forces invaded Malta in June 1798, and the Order capitulated after a couple of days. The French occupied the island by September, when the Maltese rebelled and blockaded the French forces in the harbour area with foreign help. The Floriana Lines remained under French control throughout the blockade, and the Maltese built Tas-Samra Battery
Tas-Samra Battery () was an artillery battery in Ħamrun, Malta, built by Maltese insurgents during the Siege of Malta (1798–1800), French blockade of 1798–1800. It was part of Fortifications of Malta#French occupation (1798–1800), a chain o ...
and a battery on Corradino in order to bombard them.
After the British took over Malta in 1800, the lines remained a functional military establishment. A number of minor alterations were made, including the enlargement of Porte des Bombes
''Portes des Bombes'' (, , meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called ''Porta dei Cannoni'' (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was built in 1721 as an advanced gate within the faussebraye of the Floriana ...
, the demolition of a lunette
A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void.
A lunette may also be ...
and some other gates, and the addition of gunpowder magazine
A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications re ...
s and traverses.[
]
Recent history
The fortifications were included on the Antiquities List of 1925, and they are now also listed on the .
In the 1970s, parts of the covertway and glacis were destroyed to make way for large storage tanks. Today, the lines are still more or less intact, but some parts are in a rather dilapidated state and in need of restoration.
Layout
Land front
The Floriana Land Front is the large bastioned enceinte enclosing the landward approach to the Floriana. It consists of the following:
*Bastion of Provence, also known as San Salvatore Bastion or Sa Maison Bastion – a retrenched demi-bastion which was heavily altered over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries.
*Notre Dame Curtain – curtain wall linking San Salvatore and St. Philip Bastions. It contained the Notre Dame Gate, which was partially demolished in the 1920s to accommodate for traffic requirements.
*St. Philip Bastion – a large obtuse-angled bastion at the centre of the land front. It is retrenched with the following bastions:
**St. James Bastion
**St. Luke Bastion
*St. Anne Curtain – curtain wall linking St. Philip and St. Francis Bastions. It contained St. Anne's Gate, which was replaced by a larger gate in 1859. The larger gate was also demolished in 1897 to facilitate the flow of traffic.[
*St. Francis Bastion – a large demi-bastion linked to the Polverista Bastion of the Grand Harbour enceinte. It is retrenched with St. Mark Bastion.
The land front is surrounded by a ditch, which contains the following ]outwork
An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponier
A caponier is a type of defensive structur ...
s:
*San Salvatore Counterguard – a counterguard
The counterguard (, ) is an outwork in a bastioned fortification system that usually comprises only a low rampart and which is sited in front of the actual fortress moat that runs around the bastions or ravelins. The rampart way of a countergu ...
near San Savatore Bastion.
*Pietà Lunette – a pentagonal lunette
A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void.
A lunette may also be ...
between San Salvatore Bastion and Notre Dame Ravelin, facing Pietà Creek. It was damaged by aerial bombardment in World War II
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 ...
.
*Notre Dame Ravelin, also known as the Lower Ravelin – a pentagonal ravelin
A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle a ...
near Notre Dame Curtain, between San Salvatore and St. Philip Bastions. A number of modern government buildings are located in the open area within the ravelin.
*a pentagonal lunette between Notre Dame Ravelin and St. Philip Bastion. It was damaged by aerial bombardment in World War II
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 ...
, but the damage was repaired.
*Porte des Bombes Lunette – a lunette between St. Philip Bastion and St. Francis Ravelin. It was demolished in the early 20th century to make way for the modern road to Valletta.[
*St. Francis Ravelin, also known as the Upper Ravelin – a pentagonal ravelin near St. Anne Curtain, between St. Philip and St. Francis Bastions. The ]Malta Environment and Planning Authority
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, ) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning on the Maltese islands of Malta, Gozo and other small ...
(MEPA) offices are located in the open area within the ravelin.
The outworks are surrounded by a faussebraye
A faussebraye () is a defensive wall located outside the main walls of a fortification. It is of a lower height than the main walls, and is preceded by a ditch. In Greek and Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Em ...
, advanced ditch, covertway
In military architecture, a covertway or covered way (, ) is a path on top of the counterscarp of a fortification. It is protected by an embankment which is made up by the crest of the glacis. It is able to give the fort's garrison a position be ...
, and glacis
A glacis (, ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More generally, a glaci ...
. In the 1720s, a gate known as ''Porta dei Cannoni'' was built in the faussebraye. The gate was enlarged by the British, and became known as Porte des Bombes
''Portes des Bombes'' (, , meaning "Bombs' Gate"), originally called ''Porta dei Cannoni'' (meaning "Cannons Gate"), is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana, Malta. It was built in 1721 as an advanced gate within the faussebraye of the Floriana ...
. It was eventually detached from the faussebraye to facilitate the flow of traffic, and it now looks like a triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...
.
A crowned hornwork
A hornwork is an element of the Italian bastion system of fortification. Its face is flanked with a pair of half-bastions. It is distinguished from a crownwork, because crownworks contain full bastions at their centers. They are both outwork ...
consisting of an inner hornwork with two demi-bastions and an outer crownwork with one full bastion and two demi-bastions[ is located near St. Francis Ravelin. The crownwork was protected by a musketry gallery overlooking Marsa and by two ]lunettes
A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void.
A lunette may also be ...
, one near its land front and another near its flank.
Marsamxett enceinte
The enceinte along the side facing Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...
starts from San Salvatore Bastion of the Floriana Land Front, and originally ended at St. Michael's Counterguard of the Valletta Land Front. It consists of the following:
*La Vittoria Bastion – a small casemated bastion grafted onto the Bastion of Provence which forms part of the land front.
*Polverista Curtain – a long casemated curtain wall between La Vittoria and Msida Bastions. It overlooks the AFM base at Hay Wharf.
*Msida Bastion – a polygonal asymmetrical bastion with a demi-bastioned retrenchment. A cemetery (today Msida Bastion Historic Garden) was built on its upper part in the 19th century.
*an unnamed curtain wall between Msida and Quarantine Bastions
*Quarantine Bastion – a polygonal asymmetrical bastion with a demi-bastioned retrenchment. It is breached by a modern road.
In addition, a bastioned enceinte known as the North Entrenchment is located behind the entire Marsamxett enceinte, acting as a secondary line of defence.
Grand Harbour enceinte
The enceinte along the side facing the Grand Harbour
The Grand Harbour (; ), also known as the Port of Marsa, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, and fortifications.
Description
The h ...
starts from St. Francis Bastion of the Floriana Land Front, and ends at St. Peter and St. Paul Counterguard of the Valletta Land Front. It consists of the following:
*Capuchin Bastion, also known as Dhoccara, Magazine or Polverista Bastion – a demi-bastion linked to St. Francis Bastion of the land front. It contains an 18th-century gunpowder magazine
A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications re ...
.
*a curtain wall linking Capuchin Bastion to the platform near Crucifix Curtain
*a flat-faced platform or bastion near Crucifix Curtain
*Crucifix Curtain – curtain wall linking the platform to Crucifix Bastion
*Crucifix Bastion – a large asymmetrical bastion containing a 19th-century gunpowder magazine. It also had a concrete emplacement for a 9-inch BL gun, but this has been removed.
*Kalkara Curtain – curtain wall linking Crucifix and Kalkara Bastions. It is breached by a modern road.
*Kalkara Bastion – a bastioned enceinte linking to St. Peter & St. Paul Counterguard of the Valletta Land Front.
References
External links
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Floriana
City walls in Malta
Hospitaller fortifications in Malta
Fortification lines
Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century
Limestone buildings in Malta
Architectural controversies
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Controversies in Malta
17th-century controversies
17th-century fortifications
18th-century fortifications
18th Century military history of Malta