Capuchin Convent Battery

Capuchin Convent Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Kunvent tal-Kapuċċini), also known as Kalkara Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Kalkara),^[1] was an artillery battery in Kalkara, Malta, built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. It was part of a chain of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments encircling the French positions in Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour.

The church within the Capuchin convent near which the battery was built

Capuchin Convent Battery
Batterija tal-Kunvent tal-Kapuċċini
Part of the French blockade batteries
Kalkara, Malta
Reconstruction of Capuchin Convent Battery by Stephen C. Spiteri at the Fortifications Interpretation Centre
Map of Capuchin Convent Battery in relation to Saint Peter's Battery, and the then French-occupied Fort San Salvatore and Cottonera Lines
Coordinates	35°53′10.2″N 14°31′59.5″E
Type	Artillery battery
Site history
Built	1799
Built by	Maltese insurgents or Great Britain
In use	1799–1800
Materials	Limestone
Fate	Demolished
Battles/wars	Siege of Malta (1798–1800)

Capuchin Convent Battery was built overlooking Kalkara Creek. The battery was located adjacent to a Capuchin convent which had been built between 1736 and 1743.^[2] The convent sheltered it from bombardment from the nearby Cottonera Lines and the Post of Castile. It was medium-sized, and it blocked a country lane which led towards the creek. Its armament is not known.

The battery was possibly built by Alexander Ball. Construction started in January 1799, and was completed within a month.^[1]

Like the other French blockade fortifications, the battery was dismantled, possibly sometime after 1814. No traces of the battery can be seen today, but the convent still exists, although it has been modified.^[3]

References

1. Stroud, John. "The Maltese Army of 1798". On Parade: 38. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
2. Scerri, John. "Kalkara". malta-canada.com. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
3. Spiteri, Stephen C. (May 2008). "Maltese 'siege' batteries of the blockade 1798-1800" (PDF). Arx - Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (6): 28. Retrieved 30 March 2015.