Saint Agatha's Tower (Malta)

The tower is situated in a spectacular location in l-Ahrax tal-Mellieha on the crest of the Marfa ridge and overlooks the bay of Ghadira, the nature reserve and the bird sanctuary, as well as the strait between Comino and Gozo. Its name may derive from a shallow alcove in the far wall of the second vaulted room, to the right of the central window, which contained a chapel and altar dedicated to Saint Agatha. It is also known as the Red Tower because it was painted red perhaps to help the sentries of Naxxar and Old Town to recognize it easily. It was built in 1649 during the reign of the Grand Master Jean Paul Lascaris castellar. This French Grand Master was an unpopular leader. In fact, the expression "wicc laskri" is used to describe a person with a grim and mean appearance. Unlike Grand Master Wignacourt, who financed the construction of the towers himself, the towers built during the reign of Lascaris were paid for through Maltese taxes.

The towers were designed by the military engineer Blaise Francoise, Conte de Pagan and his assistant Blondel des Croisettes. After this, however, the latter continued to build towers on his own. Other towers built during the time of Grand Master Lascaris included Ta 'Lippija in Gnejna Buy, St Agatha's Tower overlooking Mellieha Bay, Ghajn Tuffieha Tower, Ta' Xutu Tower in Wied iz-Zurrieq, and Nadur Tower. Four of these towers are modest in size, but the Torre di Sant'Agata is much larger. In 1614 a strong Turkish fleet attacked our islands. During this period the only means of defense in the north was the Tower of Wignacourt. In fact, the fleet, which was about to enter St Paul's Bay, decided to continue sailing north and entered Mellieha, which was totally unprotected.

This episode demonstrated the defensive need for such a moderately sized tower in this area. Work on the tower began on 5 December 1647 and was completed on 20 November 1648. In April 1649 the tower was equipped with four canons and was ready for use. An inscription on the plaque at the entrance to the tower recalls this date. The plaque reads:

'To those who make war, I, the Martyr Agata, am here with the breasts removed. A fearless loyalist of the Tower and a threat to my enemies well known throughout the world. Under the auspices of GM PauI Lascaris castellar, Fra Balthassaris de Mandolx and the jurors of the municipality 'Vincentio Casteletta, Gregorio Mamo and Marco Cassar in the year 1649'.

In June 1722, the War Congregation ordered it to be armed with five guns and garrisoned by a four-man garrison. The tower became an essential part of the island's defense. In fact, the War Congregation gave instructions that the only two towers on the island that had to be denied to the enemy were the tower of San Luciano in Marsaxlokk, built in 1610, and the tower of Sant'Agata. They were to be manned with 40 and 30 men respectively under the command of a sergeant who was to be chosen by the commander of the area.

These towers were supplied with enough ammunition and food to withstand a 40-day siege, and the Order reserved 400 extra muskets with bayonets should the need arise. Unlike many other smaller towers, the Red Tower remained constantly armed with men and ammunition. A low star-shaped entrenchment serving as a weapons platform built into the rear flanks of the tower is an 18th-century addition.

During the British period it was still used for defense purposes. Since their departure, the Armed Forces of Malta have used it as a radar station. The tower is accessed via a staircase and was probably separated from the door by a small drawbridge. It has a square plan with a splayed base of about 3.5 m in height from which four corner towers rise, the inclined curtain wall gives them the appearance of bastions that are not. The single floor of the tower, consisting of two barrel vaulted rooms, rises on the cordon above the splayed base and is accessed via a central door. Its external walls are about 4 m thick.

Small windows are cut through these walls. A small corridor precedes two large communicating rooms, the innermost of which contained the chapel of Sant'Agata. A spiral stone staircase in the wall led to a flat roof which served as a shooting platform and a place from which signals could be passed to the Selmun, Znuber and Comino towers. The original stone staircase had long been vandalized and the soldiers stationed at the tower had to use the metal rungs that still exist to access the roof. Two openings on the right side were supposed to let light into the staircase.

About halfway up the staircase leads to the gallery and two small windows. At the opposite end of the vaulted rooms there are two more small windows. The roof has a two foot parapet and four corner towers approximately 3m high. Under the tower a water cistern was built which is accessed via a removable slab on the right entering the first vaulted room. It contains about 42 cubic meters of water collected from the roof. This water flows through a channel from the roof, down the pipes in the outer wall and then into the cistern under the floor. This provided water to the soldiers in the tower.

The restoration of this tower required considerable funding. This was made possible in July 1999 by the sponsorship of M. Demajo Group of Companies, Playmobil Malta Limited and Toly Products Limited. The restoration had to be divided into several phases. The heat in the summer and the rain in the winter delayed the work, which however proceeded at a slow but steady pace. The most urgent work was required on the turrets. One of them was partially destroyed and required the reconstruction of the walls and roof. The badly eroded stone blocks were replaced with limestone blocks. The external walls have been cleared of plants growing in the crevices and rusty iron elements have been removed. It was decided, on the advice of the museum department, to paint the tower red again.

A wooden spiral staircase was also created. The inner walls of the tower were scraped and painted. In 2000 the original flooring was discovered and the stone slabs were laid in the four roof turrets. Plumbing and electrical works were also carried out this year. The openings were closed using wooden doors and windows. This high profile restoration project was formally completed in 2001 with great satisfaction when His Excellency Professor Guido de Marco, President of Malta, formally reopened the tower. Another important part of Malta's historical heritage had been saved for posterity.