| Garzes Tower | |
|---|---|
Torri Garzes | |
| Mġarr, Gozo | |
_Voyage_en_Italie,_en_Sicile_et_%C3%A0_Malte_-_1778_(serietitel),_RP-T-00-494-7.jpg) Garzes Tower (top left) on a panorama by Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe Ducros, 1778 | |
 Map of Mġarr Harbour in the mid-18th century, showing Garzes Tower, Mġarr Battery and a proposed bastioned enceinte and redoubt that were never built | |
| Coordinates | 36°1′37.7″N 14°17′51.7″E / 36.027139°N 14.297694°E |
| Type | Coastal watchtower |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1605–1607 |
| Built by | Order of Saint John |
| Materials | Limestone |
| Fate | Demolished, 1848 |
Garzes Tower (Maltese: Torri Garzes, Italian: Torre Garzes or Torre della Garza), also known as Saint Martin's Tower (Maltese: Torri ta' San Martin),[1] was a watchtower built in Mġarr, Gozo by the Order of Saint John in 1605. It was named after Martin Garzez, the Grand Master who financed its construction, even though it was eventually built after his death during the Magistry of Alof de Wignacourt. The tower was demolished in the 19th century; some remains were reused for the building of a bridge, and the site was developed with a hotel.[2]
It was built to the design of Vittorio Cassar.[3] A number a coastal towers, built by Grandmaster Wignacourt, are traditionally attributed to Cassar and based on the Garzes tower. However this is probably based on speculations; It is likely that Cassar's design of Garzes Tower was used, and adequately modified, to build the other towers due to the similarity in their military architecture.[3]
- ^ Cassar Pullicino, Joseph (October–December 1949). "The Order of St. John in Maltese folk-memory" (PDF). Scientia. 15 (4): 159. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
caruanawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Vittorio Cassar" (PDF): 259–160.
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