The Wignacourt towers are a series of fortifications on the island of Malta built by the Knights of Malta.
The initial towers of this type were built under the auspices of Grand Master Fra Aloph de Wignacourt. A total of seven towers of this type were constructed, and five remain.
Unlike the later Lascaris towers and De Redin towers, the Wignacourt towers were more than simply watchtowers. Instead they formed significant strongpoints intended to protect vulnerable sections of the coast from attack.
The five extant towers built in this style are:
- St Lucian Tower
- St Thomas Tower
- St. Paul's Bay Tower
- St Mary's Tower
- St. Agatha's Tower
Of these, St. Agatha's Tower, is not strictly speaking a Wignacourt tower. Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, Wignacourt's successor, built the tower in the Wignacourt style.
Two Wignacourt towers have been demolished:
- Marsalforn Tower
- Santa Maria delle Grazie Tower
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Famous quotes containing the word towers:
“A city on whom plenty held full hand,
For riches strewed herself even in her streets;
Whose towers bore heads so high they kissed the clouds,
And strangers ne’er beheld but wondered at.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)