Saluting Battery (Valletta)

Saluting Battery
Batterija tas-Salut
Part of the fortifications of Valletta
Valletta, Malta
The Saluting Battery as seen from the Upper Barrakka Gardens in 2013
Logo of the Saluting Battery
Map of the Saluting Battery within St. Peter & Paul Bastion
Coordinates35°53′40.61″N 14°30′44.89″E / 35.8946139°N 14.5124694°E / 35.8946139; 14.5124694
TypeArtillery battery
Site information
OwnerGovernment of Malta
OperatorFondazzjoni Wirt Artna
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionIntact
Websitewww.salutingbattery.com
Site history
Built1560s
Built byOrder of Saint John
British Empire
In use1560s–1954
MaterialsLimestone
Battles/warsSiege of Malta (1798–1800)
World War II

The Saluting Battery (Maltese: Batterija tas-Salut) is an artillery battery in Valletta, Malta. It was constructed in the 16th century by the Order of Saint John, on or near the site of an Ottoman battery from the Great Siege of Malta. The battery forms the lower tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion of the Valletta Land Front, located below the Upper Barrakka Gardens and overlooking Fort St. Angelo and the rest of the Grand Harbour.

The Saluting Battery was mainly used for firing ceremonial gun salutes and signals marking the opening and closure of the city gates, but it also saw military use during the blockade of 1798–1800 and World War II. The battery remained an active military installation until its guns were removed by the British in 1954. It was restored and opened to the public in the early 21st century, and it is now equipped with eight working replicas of SBBL 32-pounders which fire gun signals daily, Mon - Sat, at 1200 and 1600.