The Corona Ottomana was the newly constructed flagship of the Ottoman fleet. It was considered one of the most beautiful vessels of the Ottoman Empire. In 1760, 70 enslaved Christians on board this ship had been plotting to mutiny for a number of days. These slaves hailed from Malta, Sicily and Greece.

One day, while most of the Turkish crew members were ashore, these captives realised that the perfect opportunity to mutiny had come. Legend has it that the slaves made a promise that if their plan succeeded, they would go on a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Mellieħa, dragging chains strapped around their legs.

The slaves managed to rise up against their Turkish captors, seize control of the Sultan’s Corona Ottomana, and escape the Turkish caravels and ships that were sent to pursue them. Eventually, after 18 long days, on October 6, 1760, the Corona Ottomana arrived in Malta. The ship was an exceptional prize and its booty was distributed among its former Christian slaves. These former slaves donated the ship to Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca. The Corona Ottomana was repaired and exorcised. On November 14, 1760, it was blessed and renamed Santissimo Salvatore.

The former slaves seem to have kept their promise. A document in the records of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa shows how the Università della Valletta had to donate three scudi annually over a capital of 100 scudi to the sanctuary. The document highlights how these 100 scudi were provenienti dal equippagio della Sultana Ottomana. In addition, some chains in the sacristy of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa are believed to have been donated by former captives after their pilgrimage.

One might ask, what does this story have to do with the coastal entrenchments erected by the Order of St John in the late 18th century? The capture of this ship in 1760 brought the Order of St John and Malta to the brink of war with the Ottoman Empire. The Order was afraid that the Turks were assembling a large armada to attack Malta. In anticipation of this retaliatory attack, the Order commissioned and built new defensive structures in the form of coastal trincieramenti, or entrenchments.

A quasi-continuous line of entrenchments along the coast was proposed and this would have transformed the island, literally, into one large fortress. This island-wide defensive scheme was extremely ambitious. Several miles of entrenchments were planned to encircle Malta’s perimeter, yet only a small portion of the shores was eventually defended with these bastioned sea walls.

These entrenchments were built to resist enemy invasions by acting as a physical barrier. They were mostly built along vulnerable headlands where an enemy could easily land, especially in the calm summer months. In addition, they prevented the enemy from outflanking the rest of the coastal fortifications, such as batteries and redoubts.

Other than the pilgrims, the capture of the Corona Ottomana also brought about the arrival of capi mastri and builders to Mellieħa to build entrenchments at Għadira Bay and Armier. Other entrenchments that were built following the invasion scare of 1761 include the ones in Qawra, St Julian’s, Marsascala, Birżebbuġa, Marsaxlokk and the coast between Fort Ricasoli and Żonqor Tower.

A late 18th century plan illustrating the existing and proposed coastal fortifications at Mellieħa Bay and the fliegu. Of the several miles of entrenchments planned to secure the bay, only Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment was constructed – indicated by the white box. Courtesy of the National Library of Malta

One of the best-preserved examples of 18th century coastal defensive lines in Malta is Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment. A Pianta Ideale del Golfo della Melleha e delli Freghi Con li Trincieramenti da farsi reveals how it was planned to envelope the entire shoreline of Mellieħa Bay with a continuous set of entrenchments from one end to another. However, only a small section was erected along the north flank of Mellieħa Bay. This is known as Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment.

A labelled aerial view of Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment highlighting its four main sections. Courtesy of Google Maps

Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment consists of four main sections. The first part lies adjacent to Ta’ l-Imgħarrqa inlet and consists of an obtuse-angled bastion protected by a narrow ditch. An intriguing feature in this part of the entrenchment is the presence of a discharging arch. This arch was built to offload and take up the super-incumbent weight of this section of the entrenchment from the weak ground beneath it.

Section of the entrenchment supported by a discharging arch.

The second part of the entrenchment consists of an incomplete curtain wall. Walking along this part of the wall, one can appreciate that these miniature bastions are unfinished, with some lying in a state of disrepair. These parts are equally important as they show important elements highlighting the entrenchment’s manner of construction.

The smooth stone slabs were integral in preserving the earthen-filled bastions from natural elements.

The walls of the entrenchment consist of a soil and rubble infill sandwiched between an inner and outer wall made up of neatly- cut masonry stones. Better-preserved sections of the entrenchment highlight how the soil and rubble infill was covered with smooth stone slabs. These were essential in preserving the wall’s structural integrity as they prevented the natural elements, in particular torrential downpours, from washing away the earthen-filled bastions. This method of construction was far more solid and permanent when compared to the other trincieramenti di pietra a secco, that is, entrenchments constructed of a dry stone walling technique similar to the rubble walls that characterise the Maltese countryside.

Most of the stonework of this entrenchment consists of hardstone blocks, intermixed with the occasional softer blocks of Globigerina limestone. Most of the stones employed for this entrenchment were provided from the rocky terrain surrounding it, as evidenced by multiple sites of surface quarrying.

Detail of the incomplete curtain wall showing rusticated masonry.

Another characteristic of this entrenchment is rustication, a stone masonry finish whereby the stone is dressed off smoothly on all sides except for the outer surface. The edges are cut back to a plane surface, while leaving the central part of the stone rough and prominent. The rusticated stones were used to form the outer surface of the bastioned sea walls. This was done so as to add visual weight to these entrenchments.

The demi-bastion built across the mouth of Wied il-Ħarrub.

The third part of the entrenchment is the most impressive. This part is a demi-bastion spanning across Wied il-Ħarrub. Behind it is a terreplein artillery platform.

In their constructions, the Order always paid special attention to the natural elements. The entrenchment was equipped with an efficient system to drain rainwater that would collect behind the bastions in heavy rains. Two linked water channels were created at the base of the demi-bastion so as to allow rainwater to flow quickly across the entrenchment. The barrel-vaulted roof of these water channels ensured that these ducts did not collapse under the weight of the demi-bastion and its terreplein platform.

One of the barrel-vaulted culverts for run-off rainwater at the base of the demi-bastion.

The fourth and final part of this entrenchment is also unfinished. The Pianta Ideale del Golfo della Melleha outlines how the demi-bastion was meant to be linked to the coastline by means of another wall. This part of the defensive position is interesting as it contains traces of initial bastion construction, such as the remains of a rock-hewn culvert and traces of a fornello. This was a deep vertical hole drilled into the rock, meant to be filled with explosives. When the explosive was detonated, this generated shock waves that broke the surrounding rock. Hence, a series of fornelli made construction works faster and easier. In addition, this process generated a large number of smaller stones which could be used as infill. In fact, various spoil heaps can still be found in front of several parts of the entrenchment.

Remains of a fornello.

In the end, the feared Ottoman invasion of Malta never materialised. Instead, this event triggered a diplomatic incident, with the King of France and other European powers pressuring the Order in Malta to end the matter and hand over the Corona Ottomana back to the Turks. The Order eventually reached an agreement with the Kingdom of France. The French re-armed the ship and escorted it back to Constantinople, whereby it was handed over to the Turks in 1762.

The ambitious plan of sealing off the Maltese coastline with miles of entrenchments was never fulfilled. The partially excavated ditches and sudden halt in construction was partly due to the lack of finances needed to cover the costs, especially after the death of Grand Master Pinto, who had generously financed the works. Ironically, even if all of the proposed entrenchments had materialised, the Order lacked the sufficient manpower to man all these coastal sea walls.

Nowadays, Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment lies abandoned. Some sections of the wall have been vandalised, whereas other sections are overgrown with vegetation. Yet a walk along the entrenchment is still satisfying for two main reasons. Firstly, the easily accessible entrenchment documents several interesting architectural features. Secondly, it has survived practically unchanged as left abandoned by its builders in the late 1760s, serving as an example of a work-in-progress fortification site. In addition, unlike most other coastal entrenchments, Ta’ Qassisu Entrenchment still retains its close relationship with the sea, free from suffocating surrounding urban development.

These defensive works are remnants of an over-ambitious yet failed 18th century Hospitaller plan to seal off the island with miles-long stretches of ramparts. They highlight one of the final chapters in the Order’s fortress-building tradition in Malta.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr Stephen C Spiteri, Jeffrey Sammut and the staff at the National Library of Malta for their help and assistance with the article. In his research, the author also referred to the late Jimmy Muscat’s Il-Mellieħa – Lemħa lejn Ġrajjietha.