St Anthony’s Battery – Qala Point

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St Anthony’s Battery is an artillery battery in Qala, Gozo, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1731 and 1732 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands.

St Anthony’s Battery is one of only two surviving batteries on Gozo, the other one being Qolla l-Bajda Battery in Marsalforn, exactly on the promontory between Qbajjar Bay and Xwejni Bay.

St Anthony’s Battery is also known as Qala Point Battery, and by locals simply as It-Trunċiera (English: The Entrenchment, indicating a place providing shelter from enemy fire).

Saint Anthony’s Battery was built by the Order of Saint John on the easternmost point of Gozo, known as Ras il-Qala, and it was intended to guard the channel between Gozo and Comino.

The battery was proposed in 1730, and construction commenced in 1731 and was largely complete by December 1732. The final finishing touches were made in 1734.

The battery was named after Saint Anthony, as it was built during the reign of António Manoel de Vilhena, who was the Grandmaster of the order. It was possibly designed by the military engineer Charles François de Mondion.

The battery was designed with a semi-circular gun platform and two blockhouses at the rear. However, the design was changed, and instead, it was built with a semi-hexagonal front.

There is a free-standing redan that has thick walls and musketry loopholes to prevent a landward attack. These are shielded by two flanking traverses, and the land front is also surrounded by a shallow ditch.

The gateway has the sculpted coat of arms of Grandmaster de Vilhena. The design of the battery is different from other batteries in the Maltese islands, making it unique.

In 1770, the battery was armed with three 8-pounder guns with 427 rounds of roundshot and 75 rounds of grapeshot, and eight 6-pounder guns with 127 rounds of roundshot and 45 rounds of grapeshot.

Since 2007, the battery has being restored by Din l-Art Ħelwa in conjunction with the Qala Local Council and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. The landscape around the battery has remained virtually unchanged since it was built.