A_ERDF 039 Book PDF copy

The Restoration and Rehabilitation
of the Historic Fortifications
of Malta and Gozo
ERDF 039

First Published 2015 - Limited First Edition
Copyright Restoration Directorate, 2015
ISBN 978-99957-0-890-0
Book design and layout by Dr. Stephen C. Spiteri PhD
Cover design by Dr. Stephen C. Spiteri PhD
Published by Restoration Directorate
Printed by Gutenberg Press, Tarxien, Malta
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
permission in writing of the Restoration Directorate.

2

“One of the finest collections of military architecture to be found anywhere
in the world and constitutes a monumental heritage for sheer concentration
and majesty quite unmatched”

Professor. J. Quentin Hughes - 1994

3



Foreword helps the well-being of the inhabitants. The cultural fabric
is directly linked to the economic aspect of a location. The
The concept of cultural heritage in Malta has evolved management and care of cultural heritage resources help
throughout the past few decades and continues to go through communities understand their provenance to the benefit of
constant changes and developments. The Fortifications current and future generations. This renewed cultural aura will
Restoration Project, part financed by the European Union boost financial aspects such as property values and create
through the ERDF programme, is one of the initiatives new economic activities.
that contributed to such changes. It explores particular
aspects of cultural heritage and goes beyond the concept of Apart from the direct injection to the local cultural heritage,
conservation. such projects are an important tool to give an insight in the
work processes that are being adopted. The need to research
Cultural heritage necessitates the direct intervention on is an ongoing analysis of the professional environment. It
historical artefacts and monuments to find solutions to helps validate existing professional techniques but also
intervene on structures. It explores historical and cultural facilitates insight on new and renewed aspects of the
aspects of a site which in turn brings out the inherent cultural conservation and restoration processes. This brings out
fabric. Historical monuments, such as the military structures values to the forefront related to the aesthetic, contextual and
and fortifications rehabilitated in this project, cannot be conceptual dimensions, and in return gives an insight on new
separated from the socio-economic and political context of professional lines of approach.
the surrounding communities. The cultural fabric connects
the daily mundane environment of multifaceted societies with The technological field is in constant flux. This is contributing
these cultural treasures. Such projects are therefore tools that extensively to new ways to research the cultural texts.
explore and connect social values and customs that empower Information technology, the digital advances, mass
different stakeholders in sustaining a sense of identity. communications and media, transportation, pedagogy and
tourism are all fields that are developing rapidly. These
Interaction and intervention on these monuments for such are leaving their imprint on the sector. In return, this is
projects is normally conducted by scholars and cultural leaving its positive mark on the creative industry and world/
heritage professionals. However, they are not the only local economies resulting in better sustainability methods.
stakeholders. An academic researches these structures Digitization processes are making the cultural fabric more
to understand stories and scientific facts. This is vital data accessible and expanding demand, creating alternative routes
required to formulate informed decisions on the actual physical and audiences.
intervention. However, the intangible aspect embraces other
stakeholders. It is thus important to make such research It is therefore essential for local and national governance
accessible in order to instigate ownership, thus making such to invest further in similar programmes. The end-result will
projects viable. Whilst EU funds are helping out to rehabilitate engage both local and international stakeholders making
such monuments, the future necessitates civil society and similar projects relevant which will, in the long run, leave a
local governance since these are the key to sustainability. positive effect on society.
The rehabilitation of these sites gives a new vitality and
dimension to the surrounding environment. Apart from the Owen Bonnici
renewed economic injection such architectural renovation Minister for Justice
Culture and Local Government

5



Preface Conscious of the amount of documentation and information
which would emanate from the execution of this project,
From the onset of the ERDF039 project, the Restoration the Restoration Directorate had, at its planning stage,
Directorate was immediately aware that it was about to set upon itself the onus of publishing a book which would
undertake an initiative of large proportions, one which bear witness to the work carried out through the whole
would reshape its method of operations and, indeed, the length and span of the project. This compendium should
restoration environment of Malta. Whilst having, since being complement the wealth of information which has already
set up, invested strongly in its human resources, capital been provided at the Fortifications Interpretation Centre in
outlay available for the Directorate to carry out restoration Valletta.
interventions remained somewhat contained for several
years. Indeed, now that the project is nearing its completion, and
the fortifications of Valletta, Birgu, Mdina, Cittadella and
This state of affairs changed significantly with the funds Senglea have been given back a lease of life, this book’s
that were made available through the various European contents will surely serve as a testament to the momentous
Union funding programmes which Malta began to make use task undertaken in course of the past eight years.
of in the post-accession years.
The project is noteworthy even in numbers alone. Over 60
In particular, the Directorate seized the opportunity to tenders were published, and as many contractors involved
make use of part-funding from the European Regional in the execution of works, while more than 135,000 square
Development Funds (ERDF) specifically allocated for metres of bastions stone surfaces have been restored,
the improvement of the tourism product of the Maltese as well as many kilometres of steel ties utilised in the
Islands by successfully submitting to be considered for consolidation of friable bedrock and foundations, to cite but
funding a project dedicated to THE RESTORATION AND a few figures and facts.
REHABILITATION OF THE HISTORIC FORTIFICATIONS
OF MALTA AND GOZO. None of this would have been possible without the
endeavours of all the members of staff of the Restoration
Directorate who, over these years, dedicated their
unstinting efforts to make possible the successful
implementation of the project.

A heartfelt gratitude to all.

As part of this programme, 43.3 million Euro were invested Norbert Gatt
in the restoration and rehabilitation of some six kilometres Director and Project Leader
of bastions and ramparts making up the important historical Restoration Directorate
fortresses of Valletta, Birgu, Senglea, Mdina and the
Citadel in Gozo, and in the setting up of a Fortifications
Interpretation Centre in Valletta, the latter aimed at serving
as a stepping stone for visitors seeking to rediscover an
extraordinary architectural heritage.

7

ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

The ERDF 039 Project benefit from this funding, in all comprising a very substantial
investment of some 36 million Euro, spread over a period
of seven years, namely those of Valletta, Birgu, Mdina and
Cittadella in Gozo, in all a combined perimeter length of
around 6km of bastions and ramparts. To these was later
added a fifth project, the fortress of Senglea in the Grand
Harbour.

In 2007, the Maltese Government embarked on an These five sites were selected for their historical and
extensive programme aimed at the restoration and architectural significance, the extent of damage and decay
rehabilitation of some of the most important elements to their fabric and, last but not least their contribution to the
of Malta’s unique military architecture heritage. These islands’ tourism product. The projects were so designed so
substantial works of restoration on the fortifications of as to address both the problems of the restoration of the
Valletta, Mdina, Vittoriosa, the Gozo Citadel, and Senglea decaying architectural fabric as well as those concerning
were part-financed by the European Union through the the rehabilitation and revalorisation of the fortifications as
European Regional Development Fund under Operational integral and focal assets of Malta’s cultural-tourism product.
Programme I, and represented the first ever major
investment in modern times that has focused on the holistic The interventions were intended to give the fortifications
conservation and preservation of Malta’s extensive network greater dignity as historical monuments and to allow them
of historical fortifications. to be integrated more visibly into the overall tourism product
by harnessing their economic and cultural potential. These
These interventions were motivated by the desire to were designed to allow large parts of the ramparts to be
cherish this important but hitherto largely neglected aspect cleaned, repaired and opened to the public as places of
of Malta’s rich architectural patrimony with the aim of cultural and leisure activities – tourist information centres,
integrating it more effectively into the island’s cultural and museums, cafeterias and vantage panoramic viewpoints
tourism product. The new holistic approach also provided of the surrounding harbour landscape. The project sought
the opportunity to create a suitable medium for the proper to introduce co-ordinated, sustainable, and economic
presentation and interpretation of this unique patrimony. lighting systems which will provide evening and night-time
appreciation of the fortifications of Birgu. The lighting project
The Fortifications Restoration Project (ERDF 039) was also included Birgu’s intramural and historic urban fabric
first identified as a proposal worthy of consideration for EU and architectural heritage. The project sought to promote
funding in 2007. To this end a project proposal entitled an artistic enhancement and experience of the fortifications,
‘The Conservation and Rehabilitation of the Historical create safe and pleasant outdoor spaces, and highlight
Fortifications of Malta and Gozo’ was put together by the and emphasise important features (such as gateways and
then-Restoration Unit within the Ministry for Resources cavaliers) and other buildings.
and Rural Affairs. This project sought to draw attention
and address for the very first time and in a holistic This project has been part-financed by the European Union
manner, some of the main issues presented by the acute – European Regional Development Fund under Operation
conservation problems posed by the Maltese islands’ Programme I ‘Investing in Competitiveness for a Better
unique and prodigious mass of historic fortifications. Four Quality of Life’ for Cohesion Policy 2007-2013, with a co-
major works of fortification were eventually chosen to financing rate of 85% EU Funds (ERDF) and 15% National Funds.

8

Budget Breakdown Items of expenditure including VAT Senglea’s most iconographic landmark, known as the
Sperone, a distinctive iconographic landmark.
(in millions):

Mdina 9.7

Valletta 11.7 Fortifications Interpretation Centre (FIC), The Fortress
Builders. A sixth project, involving the rehabilitation of
Birgu 13.2 a sixteenth century historical edifice in Valletta and its
conversion into a newly set-up interpretative centre
Cittadella (Gozo) 6.3 dedicated to Maltese fortifications, was included at a later
stage.
Senglea 0.3

FIC 2.0

Publicity 0.1

Grand Total 43.3 The ERDF project objectives can be summarised into the

The project was initially divided into four distinct areas and following points:
a fifth, Senglea, was added in 2014.
• the restoration and repair of the heavily consumed
Valletta, Malta’s foremost work of military architecture and
historical importance. It is a designated world heritage masonry and rocky fabric of the fortifications Front cover of the project
site inscribed in 1980.The project focused around the • the consolidation of unstable underlying terrain and proposal document submitted for
restoration of the city’s bastioned land front enceinte. consideration in 2007.
foundations
Vittoriosa, the oldest maritime settlement in the Grand
Harbour and Malta’s first bastioned maritime fortress. The • the recuperation of the overall legibility of the
main scope of this project was to restore, recuperate and
rehabilitate hitherto inaccessible areas and spaces within fortified enceintes where obscured by modern
the fortifications for the benefit of the general public.
accretions and unsympathetic development
Mdina, old capital of Malta. The main scope of this
project was to consolidate the fragile terrain on which the • the filling-in of missing lacunae in the ramparts
ancient city’s fortified enceinte rests in order to diminish
and possibly stop further settlement and damage of the • the recuperation, for public enjoyment, of various
historical ramparts, as well as to restore the entire trace of
walls and ramparts. hitherto inaccessible areas along the fortified

enceintes

• the rehabilitation of ditches into a recreational and

cultural areas

• the introduction of a new lighting system for the

fortifications of Birgu

• the re-paving and relighting of the historical intra-

mural areas of Birgu

• the introduction of adequate historical signage

and interpretative panels

Cittadella, the oldest fortified settlement in Gozo. The main
scope of this project was to restore and repair the ramparts
of the old fortress and to consolidate the fragile cliff-face
and medieval ramparts on the northern part of its enceinte;
as well as to open up a new heritage trail around the
ramparts and the ditch.

Senglea, the second oldest settlement within the Grand
Harbour area. The main scope of this project was to restore

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ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

The Fortifications the diversity of shape and powerful sculptural features
of the Maltese Islands encountered in Malta’s ramparts, knit as they are of virgin
rock, dressed stone and reinforced concrete – truly majestic
One of the most important assets of the Maltese islands lies essays of force countering force, of grace under pressure.
in the astonishing wealth of physical remains from its past In terms of fortifications, the Maltese islands are truly
- buildings and sites which stand as witnesses to a unique unique. This uniqueness has long been acknowledged
historical experience spanning thousands of years. throughout the course of history. Many eminent and famous
Undoubtedly, one of the main pillars of this built up people who came in contact with the Maltese islands
heritage is the defence architecture, for Malta’s strategic were greatly impressed by the formidable nature and
location at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, coupled scale of Malta’s fortifications. Many a traveller remarked
with her excellent natural harbours, has meant that that the little island was ‘top-heavy with fortifications’ and
over the centuries she has played a leading role in the were often amazed at how the “enormously thick walls,
military struggle for supremacy in the region. A historical distributed in various forms, were cut out in the living rock
process which was invariably accompanied by a continual with marvellous art”, as astonishing to behold as they were
investment in the fortification of the island, first as the difficult to comprehend – ‘seeming rather to have grown
bulwark of Christendom under the Hospitaller Knights of St. than to have been built.’
John and then as Britain’s entrepôt and naval base.
The vast legacy of forts and fortresses, citadels and towers, There were many, too, who were seduced by the
batteries, and entrenchments and concrete pillboxes inimitable ‘golden yellow of the stone’, which made the
which dominate this insular landscape bears testimony Maltese fortifications shine ‘in the sun like pieces of newly
to the intense periods of military activity in the Maltese polished marble’. It was often noted that the very strength
islands. Indeed, one can say that the history of the Maltese of the Maltese fortifications lay not only in the way that
archipelago is, in many ways, a history of fortification. the ramparts were designed and built to dominate and
command the landscape but, most of all, in the solid
manner of their construction à prova di bomba, fashioned
out of the local limestone by the incessant toil and masonry
skills of Maltese capimastri and picconieri. In 1798,
Silkowski, Napoleon’s Polish aide-de-camp, observed that
had the Knights of St. John under Grand Master Ferdinand
von Hompesch left the French soldiers attacking the island
‘the painful task of breaking those rocks’ and simply stayed
‘quietly behind their four-tiered lines of ramparts’, then,
the breathtaking fortifications around the Grand hHarbour
would never have had to surrender.

Certainly, few other islands around the world can so Malta owes this unique wealth of defensive architecture
eloquently claim the title of ‘island fortress’. Fewer still to three important factors: its geography, the Knights of
are those fortified landscapes which can boast of such a St. John, and the British military. Geography placed these
rich concentration of stone-built defences in a combined islands in a position of great strategic importance in the
surface area that covers little more than 300km2. No other centre of the narrow channel joining the eastern and
place around the shores of the Mediterranean can match western basins of the Mediterranean, rendering to them

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ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

Detail from Matteo Perez D’Aleccio’s Mdina – Città Notabile the Cathedral, and all along the flank of the old city facing
frescoes of the Great Siege of 1565 in the Mtarfa.
Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta, showing Mdina’s long history as Malta’s ancient capital, coupled
the fortress of Mdina. with its dominant position in the centre of the island and The restoration interventions carried out under the ERDF
its rich diversity of architectural heritage features enclosed 039 project initiative, were the result of a long serious
by its walls, unequivocally make it one of the most of studies designed and carried out by the Restoration
aesthetically pleasing and sculpturally powerful fortified Directorate, intended to identify the best cost-effective
Baroque towns to be found in the Mediterranean. Mdina, or technical solutions to the problems. These preparations
Citta’ Notabile (or Vecchia) as it is also known, has been, involved various geo-technical and structural monitoring
together with Valletta, one of the central pillars of Malta’s sessions, geophysical investigations (including horizontal
tourism industry. This ancient fortress, nowadays described geo-radar, seismic tests, and geo-electrical tests), and
as ‘the silent city’, is surely one cultural and architectural laboratory tests on soil samples. The effort was further
treasure house that the Maltese people cannot afford to complemented by a topographic and photogrammetric
lose. The fortifications of Mdina, on their part, provide a rich survey carried out by the Restoration Directorate. Data
combination of unique features that are not encountered relating to the rate of increase of the structural cracks
elsewhere in the Maltese islands. As a matter of fact, present in the rampart walls and those of the overlying
Mdina brings together important fortification elements such palace rooms were also automatically recorded on a daily
as the sole surviving relics of Punic, Roman, Byzantine, basis by means of computerized data-loggers.
and the remains of medieval walls and towers, as well as
first-generation and Baroque-period Hospitaller bastioned All the tests confirmed the existence of active ground
defences. movement. In particular areas both ramparts and the
overlying structures, particularly those located along
The conservation of this architectural and historical the peripheral areas with their foundations resting upon
treasure has long been a cause of concern for the Maltese the hidden cliff-face, were all being subjected to hidden
authorities. The structural instability of the bastions and pressures from the shifting ground. The principal mode of
ramparts caused by the geological nature of the Mdina failure was observed to be rigid body rotation about the foot
plateau has been foremost among the threats facing the of the ramparts’ foundations, with toppling at the top due to
preservation of the historic enceinte. The clayish nature yielding of the underlying clay strata.
of the site and the peeling effect of the hidden cliff-face,
on which rest most of the old lateral walls of the fortress, The results obtained from these investigations were then
made a very large stretch of the walled perimeter unstable. used as the basis for the formulation of a dedicated design
Over the centuries, various parts of the walls collapsed and proposal. Basically, this involved the pinning of the ground
had to be rebuilt but the problem was never satisfactorily below the ramparts with various rows of large and small
resolved. This situation had become particularly worrying diameter piles of reinforced concrete inserted to a deep
in the areas around D’Homedes Bastion and the adjoining level into the ground. These interventions were designed
Vilhena Palace, at Despuig Bastion, situated beneath to arrest the rotation and movement of the massive walls
by limiting the plasticization of the clay owing to excessive
bearing pressures confining the clay under the structures.
The interventions also sought to stabilize the fractured
uppermost layer of rock on which the ramparts rested
(known as the Upper Coralline Limestone) and to reduce
the erosion of the substrata as well as ground settlement.

40

Mdina

Eighteenth-century map of Mdina with
its bastioned fortifications and new outer
works as proposed by the Order’s French
military engineers. (Image source: National
Library of Malta).

41

ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

Simulated computer models and 3D
scans of the Mdina fortifications prepared
as part of the studies and investigations
prior to the commencement of restoration
interventions.

42

Mdina

Areas of intervention forgotten, buried as it was beneath a thick blanket of
vegetation. The restoration interventions have now brought
The most salient elements of the fortifications threatened this large bastion back to light, making it a very visible,
by the destructive ground forces were Magazine Curtain, sculpturally powerful architectural landmark along the city’s
Despuig Bastion and D’Homedes Bastion (also known as fortified enceinte.
St. Paul’s Bastion). The latter is one of the oldest and most
architecturally important bastions built by the Knights of St. Magazine Curtain, situated on the opposite flank of Mdina,
John. It represents the only authentic example of a pre- facing Mtarfa, represented perhaps the most dangerous
Great Siege period, first generation Hospitaller gunpowder section of the ramparts. Huge fissures cutting through
bastion still to be found in an unadulterated state. Built its range of barrel vaults had been ignored for decades
around 1540, this bastion was actually the second major but were still active and were threatening to bring down
Hospitaller artillery bulwark to be erected on the Island many of the magazines, some of which were in use by the
and contains a unique internal countermine tunnel with public. The curtain wall itself was designed and built by the
a network of explosive flues and shafts designed to the Knights’ resident French military engineer, Charles François
conventions of the Italian system. Its construction is de Mondion, and was constructed in order to upgrade what
attributed to Antonio Ferramolino, Italian military engineer was up until the 1720s still considered a weak and irregular
to the Viceroy of Sicily, who was loaned to the Knights of medieval section of the enceinte. Mondion’s interventions
St. John for a brief period in 1541. The bastion is known to and the construction of his casemated curtain replaced the
have been under construction in 1547 and was completed irregular medieval ramparts and created a single straight
in 1551 as attested by the marble escutcheon with the curtain wall, providing in the process a strong and stable
coat of arms of Grand Master D’Homedes placed on the artillery platform capable of mounting cannon for the
tableau of the parapet of the right face of the bastion (facing defence of the western enceinte against a possible enemy
Saqqajja Hill). The only alterations to the bastion were siege battery set up on the opposing heights of Mtarfa.
those made to the embrasures in the parapet during the The new curtain wall itself helped shield the houses within
eighteenth century. Today, D’Homedes Bastion represents the city from direct bombardment. Above all, Mondion’s
the sole example of an early, first generation work of new curtain wall gave the old city a cleaner and more
Hospitaller military architecture built to the conventions of architecturally imposing profile along its left flank.
the trace italienne. The large fissures which cut clean right
through the heart of this bastion threatened to bring down Brief historical outline of Mdina’s fortifications
the left half and face of the bulwark.
Mdina is the oldest fortified settlement in the Maltese
On the other hand, Despuig Bastion, situated to the rear islands. Its walls had already been standing for many
and at the foot of Mdina’s cathedral, was the last bastion centuries when the knights of St. John arrived in Malta
built by the knights in Malta. Begun around 1739, it is in 1530. Still, little of its antiquity is immediately apparent
a pentagonal artillery platform whose ramparts have nowadays, since the ancient fabric was slowly hidden, in
suffered extensively owing to ongoing subsidence of the the course of the Order’s rule, beneath a heavy new cloak
clayish terrain on which it was erected. Despuig Bastion of gunpowder fortifications. Despite its external aspect of a
was built to provide the city’s north-eastern enceinte (then powerful bastioned fortress, however, the old city retained
still medieval in character) with a much-needed flanking its ancient and medieval core. The irregular trace of its
artillery position. Prior to the commencement of the ERDF
039 restoration intervention, Despuig Bastion was virtually

43

ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

Various views of the traverse lateral walls betrays the ancient character of the city’s of one were coterminous with those of the other. The castle
battery and sally-port situated defences, and in a way, it also reveals the Knights’ inability was the first to disappear, however, its decay beginning
at the foot of D’Homedes to fully bring the fortifications of Mdina into the ‘modern’ age in the mid-fifteenth century when its inner walls were
Bastion, prior to the of gunpowder warfare. pulled down by royal licence in response to local demand
commencement of some time after 1453. The castle’s outer ramparts and
restoration interventions. Mdina occupies a relatively small area at the tip of a towers, which formed an integral part of the main enceinte,
strategically sited plateau – part of the site which once however, were retained. The most drastic alterations
served to accommodate a much larger Roman, and earlier occurred in the course of the eighteenth century when
Punic, fortified town. This site, standing as it is at the very what had remained of the the medieval walls were swept
heart of the Island, was a natural focal point of refuge away as the Knights sought to drag the old fortress into the
commanding clear views of the greater part of the island’s modern age of gunpowder warfare.
coastline. Archaeological evidence tends to suggest that the
medieval fortress had already taken shape by the late Arab When the Knights took over Mdina in 1530, they found a
period and by the fifteenth century, Mdina’s defence came fortress that was largely obsolete. Its thin vertical walls
to consist of a city wall and a castle. The two elements were incapable of providing adequate defence against
seem to have been closely interwoven, such that the walls cannon while its landlocked position, right in the heart

44

of the island, although providing a secure refuge for the Mdina
inhabitants against corsair raids, meant that the town could
easily be cut off from any outside help by a large enemy 45
force intent on besieging the place. Notwithstanding its
many shortcomings, the Knights, who had settled down
at Birgu, still chose to take over its defence. The first
significant interventions began to materialize in the 1540s
and came in the form of two new bastions which were
grafted on to the corners of the land front enceinte. The
first of the two bastions to be erected was that known as
D’Homedes Bastion, built to command the approach road
up from Saqqajja Hill. This was already under construction
in 1547 and appears to have been designed by Antonio
Ferramolino. The second bastion, built at the opposite end
of the land front adjoining Greeks Gate, was completed
prior to the Great Siege. Another bastion, known as St.
Mary’s, or Ta’ Bachar, was added along the northwestern
part of the enceinte but it is not clear if this structure was
added before or after the siege, although it does seem to be
depicted in d’Aleccio’s frescoes, at the magistral palace.

Mdina survived the Turkish siege of 1565 practically
unscathed, as the Ottoman forces chose to focus their
attention on the fortifications inside the Grand Harbour.
Still, the Knights were far from happy with the state of its
defences. Moreover, with the establishment of the new
fortress-city of Valletta on the heights of the Sciberras
peninsula in 1566, the old capital city quickly fell into rapid
decline. By 1658 the fortifications of Mdina were in a terrible
state of repair. Various suggestions were made to abandon
and demolish the old fortress, but fortunately, none were
ever implemented.

The second important phase in the development of Mdina
as a fortress occurred during the reign of Grand Master
de Redin. This Grand Master paid for various repairs
to the bastions and curtain walls and also initiated the
construction of a large central bastion on the city’s land
front, setting aside 4,000 scudi for the work which was
designed by the Order’s resident engineer Mederico
Blondel. The earthquake of 1693 severely damaged the

General diagrams showing the ground
consolidation methods used to anchor the
ramparts at Mdina by means of steel and
concrete piles and ties.

ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

ramparts of Mdina, particularly the older works spanning
from St. Mary Bastion to the walls beneath the cathedral
and provided the excuse for the rebuilding of the medieval
city in the new Baroque idiom. This was soon to be followed
by the last and most important phase in the reconstruction
of Mdina’s fortifications, which began with the arrival of
a French military mission headed by the engineer René
Jacob de Tigné in 1715. The product of the French work
was the erection of new outer works, namely the covered
way, glacis and flanking batteries inside the ditch, and the
rebuilding of the city’s main gateways. Most of Tigné’s
suggestions were implemented by his assistant Mondion
during the reign of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena (1722-
36). The last work of fortification was the addition of a
bastion beneath the cathedral during the reign of Grand
Master Despuig.

Despite all the efforts that were invested by the Knights to
stiffen its defences in the course of the eighteenth century,
Mdina remained inherently a weak defensive position and
indeed proved to be the first of the Order’s fortifications
in Malta to surrender to the French under Napoleon
Bonaparte in 1798, with hardly a shot being fired. The
French occupation of Mdina, in turn, was to be very short
lived, and the old city was the first of the French occupied
strongholds in the Maltese islands to be taken over by the
Maltese patriots at the start of the insurrection.

The subsequent centuries saw little changes to Mdina’s
fortified fabric. The British military for their part, saw little
strategic value in defending the position and invested no
resources in its fortifications. The only significant changes
occurred towards the late nineteenth century and were
motivated by the introduction of a railway system and the
location of a train station close to the old city. This saw
the excavation of a tunnel which was cut through the hill
beneath the fortress and the opening of a new gateway on
the western flank of the city walls (in Magazine Curtain).
The latter was built to provide easy access down to the
train station form within city but this had also involved
the demolition of a battery that had stood at the mouth of

Fissured shoulder of Despuig Bastion
prior to restoration interventions.

46

the ditch, the stonework of which was used to create the Mdina
access ramp for the same gateway.
Repair works in
Programme of interventions. progress on the
Fissured face of
The ERDF 039 restoration interventions were designed to D’Homedes Bastion.
be implemented in three distinct phases. The first phase,
included the Vilhena Palace area (i.e., D’Homedes Bastion, 47
the ramparts underlying Council Square, and Vilhena
Palace), while Phases 2 and 3 involved Despuig Bastion
and Magazine Curtain respectively.

MDN 01: Geo-technical Consultancy
MDN 02: Investigation and Installation of Monitoring System
MDN 03: Consolidation and Restoration of Vilhena

Palace Area (D’Homedes Bastion and adjoining
rampart)
MDN 04: Consolidation and Restoration of Despuig
Bastion
MDN 05: Consolidation and Restoration of Magazine
Curtain

In 2014, the ERDF project was extended to cover the
remaining elements of Mdina’s enceinte as well as other
complementary projects, namely,

MDN 06: Manufacture, Supply and Installation of

Galvanised Steel Railings and of Horse

Cab Terminal

MDN 07: Restoration of St. Peter Bastion

MDN 08: Restoration of St. Mary Bastion and Medieval

enceinte

MDN 10: Restoration of Timber Doors and Windows of

Magazine Curtain

ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

In order to complement and
accentuate the restoration of the
ramp walls of the fortifications of
Mdina, the Restoration Directorate
undertook a major refurbishment
project of the largely under-utilized
ditch along the Mdina land front,
converting it into one of the most
beautiful public recreational areas in
the Maltese islands. This project was
undertaken by Departmental funds
(Below, Project billboard).
Right, Various views of the Mdina
ditch before and after its rehabilitation
into a public garden and recreational
area.

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Mdina

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ERDF 039 The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Historic Fortifications of Malta

D’ Homedes Bastion

& Adjoining Ramparts

D’Homedes Bastion is the first artillery bulwark
which was built by the Knights in Mdina. It is dated
to around 1542 and may have been designed by the
Italian military engineer Antonio Ferramolino.
The bastion has an interesting and unique system
of countermines built into its design and is one of
the few first-generation works of fortification built
by the Knights before 1565 to survive in a largely
unadulterated state of preservation. The bastion
was heavily fissured owing to a subsidence of the
underlying terrain and was in dire need of repair and
restoration. A small bastionette, added to the left face
of the bastion in the course of the early eighteenth
century, was also in need of restoration.
The ERDF 039 project (MDN 03) sought to arrest the
rotation and movement of the massive walls through
various interventions involving the insertion of pylons
and anchors, as well as undertaking the restoration
of the masonry fabric of the ramparts.

Right, Detail from an early eighteenth-
century plan of Mdina showing D’Homedes
Bastion, its adjoining ramparts and outer
works, and various proposals for the
defence of the old medieval enceinte
facing Ta’ Qali (Image Source: Courtesy of
the National Library of Malta).

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