Captain's Tower


Captain's Tower is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built sometime after 1548 by the Order of Saint John. Today, the tower is in good condition.

History

The Captain's Tower was built by the Order of Saint John to house the Captain of the Naxxar militia. It was built during the magistracy of Jean Parisot de Valette, after the Order unsuccessfully tried to requisition the nearby Gauci Tower in 1548. The Captain's Tower is one of the earliest Hospitaller fortifications in Malta.
The tower's design is similar to the Gauci Tower as well as earlier Hospitaller towers in Rhodes. The tower consists of a square plan with three floors. It contains a number of box machicolations, and a columbaria which housed carrier pigeons to relay messages to Mdina or Valletta.
The Tower and the house built with it were used as a temporary hospital during the plaque epidemic of 1675-6.
The Captain's Tower lost most of its defensive value by the late 17th century, due to the construction of new fortifications such as the Wignacourt, Lascaris and De Redin towers.

Present day

Today, the Captain's Tower is in good condition. It is privately owned and is not open to the public.