St John's Cavalier

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Location: St. John's Tower, Torri Ta' San Gwann, Birgu

The magnificent city of Vittoriosa is surrounded by a series of defensive walls and other fortifications. Most of these fortifications are still intact today. One of these fortifications is the St John’s Cavalier that was built on St John’s Bastion which is found in the southern part of Vittoriosa. St John’s Cavalier is a two-tiered cavalier which was designed to serve as a towering artillery platform. St John’s Bastion is a large unsymmetrical bastion that houses two out of the three main gates of Vittoriosa that were designed by architect Charles de Mondion in the 18th century. Today the road passes through the archway in the bastion. In the 19th century British some minor alterations were made to St John’s Bastion by the British Government. Adjoining the bastion and cavalier there is the Curtain of France that is the main Curtain which links the two main bastions that make up the land front defences of Birgu. Today St John’s Cavalier serves as the local branch of the Scout Association. In collaboration with Kottonera Foundation.

Il-belt glorjuża tal-Birgu hija mdawra b'sensiela ta' ħitan difensivi u fortifikazzjonijiet oħra. Ħafna minn dawn il-fortifikazzjonijiet għadhom intatti sal-ġurnata tal-lum. Wieħed minn dawn il-fortifikazzjonijiet huwa is-St John’s Cavalier li kien inbena fuq il-Bastjun ta’ San Ġwann li jinsab fin-naħa t’isfel tal-Birgu. Is-St John’s Cavalier huwa cavalier b'żewġ saffi li kien iddisinjat biex iservi bħala pjattaforma ta' artillerija għolja. Il-Bastjun ta’ San Ġwann huwa bastjun kbir li mhuwiex simetriku u li fih jinstabu tnejn mit-tliet mini ewlenin tal-Birgu li kienu ddisinjati mill-perit Charles de Mondion fis-seklu 18. Illum hemm t-triq tgħaddi mill-arkata tal-bastjun. Fis-seklu 19 il-Gvern Ingliż wettaq xi tibdiliet żgħar fil-Bastjun ta' San Ġwann. Maġenb il-bastjun u l-cavallier hemm il-Curtain of France li hija l-Curtain ewlenija li tgħaqqad iż-żewġ bastjuni ewlenin li jiffurmaw id-difiżi tal-front tal-Birgu. Illum is-St John’s Cavalier qed iservi bħala l-fergħa lokali tal-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Iscouts. B’kollaborazzjoni mal-Fondazzjoni Kottonera.