THE TOWERING LEGACY LEFT BY J.P. LASCARIS OF CASTELLAR

Jean Paul Lascaris (1560-1657), Grand Master of Malta from 1636 to 1657, was a deeply religious and upright person and a great achiever, whose austere appearance till today has left an expression in the Maltese language: "wiċċ ta’ Lascaris" which describes a person with a severe face!

Lascaris was born in the small village of Castellar in the French Maritime Alps which produced at least 30 Knights to the Order of Malta. The knights played an important role in the great battles of this era and Grand Master Lascaris withstood and ruled during the famine of 1647/48, established an important library in Malta, purchased the Caribbean Island of St Christopher, donated a galley to the impressive Maltese fleet and devised an early warning system by building 10 coastal towers including Lippija, Għajn Tuffieħa, Nadur and Żurrieq Sciuta towers.

Others were built between 1640 and 1652 from a different design, most likely by resident military architects, and included the towers of Saint Agatha's, Xlendi, Dwejra, and Saint George's Towers. Another one had also been in Mġarr called Blat Mogħża, which unfortunately disappeared permanently from the cliffside in 1730.

The sites of the towers were decided by the Council of the Order and administered by a body called the Congregation for Fortification and War, whose main function was to deter attacks from pirates or, like in 1614, from Kalil Pasha landing with 5000 men.

The towers were funded by the Order under the administration of the Congregation for Fortification and Warfare, and the salaries of the guards or bombers paid by the University of Mdina. The maintenance and upkeep of the watchtowers was also their responsibility.

Access to the upper part of the towers was by means of a ladder that was taken away once the Guardian was installed. A vigil was carried out day and night, and the minute an enemy ship was sighted, a rider on horseback would inform the nearest village. Each tower received a resident guard or bombardier and 3 artillery men, chosen from among the Dejma militia, paid 2.5 and 2 crowns respectively.

The goal was for warning messages to reach Valletta. The guards or bombardiers were mostly illiterate, so they were not required to make any written reports. When an enemy was seen, the Guardians had various rules to follow. During the night they fired one cannon or lit a firecracker rocket (fireworks), and during the day, a smoke signal was required. If they saw that the enemy was about to land, they were to hoist the Order's flag up.

Saint Agatha’s Tower, also known as The Red Tower, is a large bastion in Mellieha and forms part of the Lascaris towers across the islands. Yet, this tower’s design is completely different from the re st. It is open to visitors, so come and see for yourself. See the dinlarthelwa.org site for details.