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Birgu Clock Tower

Birgu Clock Tower
It-Torri tal-Arloġġ tal-Birgu
Birgu Clock Tower.jpg
View of the Birgu Clock Tower c. 1930s or early 1940s
Alternative names Vittoriosa Clock Tower
General information
Status Destroyed
Type Clock tower
Architectural style Siculo-Norman
Location Birgu, Malta
Coordinates 35°53′16.9″N 14°31′19″E / 35.888028°N 14.52194°E / 35.888028; 14.52194
Construction started Middle Ages
Renovated possibly rebuilt 1549
Destroyed April 1942 (bombed)
October 1944 (ruins cleared)
Height 40 m (130 ft)
Technical details
Material Limestone
Floor count 5

Birgu Clock Tower (Maltese: It-Torri tal-Arloġġ tal-Birgu), also called the Vittoriosa Clock Tower, was a clock tower in Birgu, Malta. It was located in Victory Square, the city's main square, and it was a prominent landmark in Birgu and the rest of the Three Cities. The tower was probably built in the Middle Ages, although some sources state that it was constructed in 1549. It served as a watchtower since it had views over the Grand Harbour and the surrounding countryside, and it saw use during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. A clock was installed in the tower in the 17th century.

The building was destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II. Some of its foundations still exist, and plans have been made for rebuilding the structure.

The Birgu Clock Tower is believed to have been built in the medieval period. It was built as a watchtower, and it had views of the Grand Harbour and the surrounding countryside. An alarm bell was installed in the tower in 1504.

Following the arrival of the Order of St. John in Malta, their coat of arms and the date 1549 were inscribed on the façade. According to some sources, the tower was rebuilt at this point.

According to Francisco Balbi di Correggio, Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette used the tower for surveillance during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Following the transfer of the capital city from Birgu to Valletta, in 1572 the Order sold part of the tower to a family from Għaxaq, who used it as a private residence.

The upper parts of the tower remained public property. A clock was placed on the tower's top floor in 1629, during the magistracy of Antoine de Paule, and this was commemorated by a Latin inscription on the tower.


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