Saint Paul's Tower and Chapel (Malta)

This article is about a private tower and chapel built by the Dorell family in Delimara, Malta. For another tower in Delimara built by Grandmaster De Redin, now demolished, see Delimara Tower.

Saint Paul's Tower and Chapel are a defensive tower and chapel in Delimara, Marsaxlokk, Malta.^[2] The tower is also referred to as Ta' Bettina Tower^[3] and in official documents as Delimara Tower.^[A] A tower and chapel already existed in 1776, when Claudio Muscati Xiberras was granted the title Marchese di Xrob il-Għaġin.^[2]

St Paul's Tower and Chapel
Torri u Batterija ta' San Pawl
Marsaxlokk, Malta
Torri ta' San Pawl, also known as Ta' Bettina
Site information
Type	Coastal watchtower Chapel
Owner	Private
Open to the public	Inaccessible
Location
Coordinates	35°50′38.8608″N 14°33′51.7968″E
Site history
Built	c. 1740[1]
Materials	Limestone
Fate	Intact

Tower

The tower consists of three rooms at ground floor level used for residential purposes. The rooms have a high ceiling and are very well kept. The living area is part of the tower and has arched ceilings with typical Maltese stone-slabs (Maltese: kileb).^[2] The two-storey, L-shaped tower has a plain external appearance, while the lower part has a slight slope. There is a plain projecting string course between the ground and first floor, while the first floor has a ‘dashed’ plain projecting cornice. The tower has small window openings and machicolations (Maltese: gallarija tal-misħun) for throwing projectiles or boiling liquid onto besiegers.^[2]

St Paul's Tower was included in the Antiquities Protection List of 1932^[5] and was classified by the authorities as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice number 1082/09.^[4]

Chapel

St. Paul's Shipwreck Chapel, next to the tower.

The current chapel was built in 1740 by Elisabetta Muscat Cassia Dorell, and rebuilt in 1831 by her daughter Marchioness Angelica Moscati Cassia Dorell. It was restored in 1931 by Angelo Muscat Cassia Dorell.^[2]

Notes

1. In the 2009 Government Gazette listing the property, the tower is referred to as: "Delimara Tower (formerly listed as St Paul's Tower), Marsaxlokk."^[4]