Ramla Left Battery

Ramla Left Battery (Maltese: Batterija tax-Xellug tar-Ramla), also known as Belancourt Battery (Maltese: Batterija ta' Belancourt) or Xagħra Battery (Maltese: Batterija tax-Xagħra),[1] was an artillery battery in Ramla Bay, limits of Xagħra on the island of Gozo, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands. The battery now lies in ruins.

Ramla Left Battery
Batterija tax-Xellug tar-Ramla
Xagħra, Gozo, Malta
Ruins of Ramla Left Battery (centre)
Coordinates36°3′40.5″N 14°16′56.3″E
TypeArtillery battery
Site information
OwnerGovernment of Malta
Controlled byGaia Foundation
ConditionRuins
Site history
Built1715–1716
Built byOrder of Saint John
MaterialsLimestone
Battles/warsFrench invasion of Malta (1798)

History
An iron cannon originally located at Ramla Left Battery, now found at the Cittadella

Ramla Left Battery was built in 1715–1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries in Malta. It was one of several fortifications in Ramla Bay that also included Ramla Right Battery on the opposite side of the bay and Ramla Redoubt in the centre. These were all linked together by an entrenchment wall. Ramla Bay was further defended by Marsalforn Tower on the plateau above the bay, and an underwater barrier to prevent enemy ships from landing within the bay.[2]

The battery originally had an irregularly shaped gun platform with a parapet having six embrasures. A small blockhouse was located at the rear of the battery. Construction cost around 295 scudi.[3]

The battery saw use during the French invasion of Malta in 1798, when it fired on the approaching French fleet.[4]

Present day

Today, all that remains of the battery are some ruins.[3] These ruins, along with the rest of Ramla Bay, are managed by the Gaia Foundation.[5]

At least one iron cannon from the battery is now located at the Cittadella.

References
  1. "Scheduling of Property - Section 46 of the Development Planning Act, 1992". MEPA. 6 January 1995. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015.
  2. Saliba, Mario. "Ir-Ramla: ġawhra naturali u wirt nazzjonali". academia.edu (in Maltese). pp. 1–6. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  3. Mifsud, Raymond (19 February 2013). "Il-Batterija Belancourt fir-Ramla l-ħamra". L-Orizzont (in Maltese). Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  4. Hardman, William (1909). A history of Malta during the period of the French and British occupations, 1798-1815. London: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 47.
  5. Ragonesi, Rudolf (16 June 2013). "Gaia Foundation and Ramla l-Ħamra". Times of Malta. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
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