Extensive restoration works have been carried out on the protected Santa Marija Battery in Comino.
Built by the knights of St John in 1715, the battery is classified as a Grade 1 building. Its protection is due to its significant military architecture.
The project, which cost €183,000, was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli.
She said that some 32% of tourists (more than 876,000) visiting Malta went to Comino in 2019. This was besides the thousands of Maltese who also visited the island.
She praised Din l-Art Ħelwa for its “priceless contribution” towards the safeguarding and maintenance of historical places such as the fortifications on Comino.
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said that through collaboration between Din l-Art Ħelwa and the Malta Tourism Authority, Malta’s history was being promoted and the tourism product improved.
This was also being done with the help of European funds, which covered some €150,000 of the costs of the battery restoration project.