Cumbo Tower
| Cumbo Tower | |
|---|---|
Torri Cumbo | |
 Northeast façade as photographed in 2016 | |
 Interactive map of the Cumbo Tower area | |
General information | |
| Status | Intact |
| Type | Residence |
| Location | Mosta, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°54′07.6″N 14°25′25.5″E / 35.902111°N 14.423750°E |
Completed | c. 19th century |
| Owner | Baron Lino Testaferrata Bonici and Baroness Maria Testaferrata Bonici (née Testaferrata Moroni Viani) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone |
The Cumbo Tower (Maltese: Torri Cumbo) is a historic residential building located in Mosta, Malta. Its site is traditionally associated with the legend of the bride of Mosta (Maltese: l-għarusa tal-Mosta), which is possibly based on a 1526 raid. The present building was constructed in around the 19th century.
History and folklore
[edit]An early Christian family tomb dating back to the Roman or Byzantine era is located on the grounds of the Cumbo Tower.[1]
The property was built by and is named after the Cumbo family,[2] a prominent family in late medieval and early modern Malta which included a number of judges.[3] The property is believed to have belonged to Giulio Cumbo,[2] a lawyer who was a jurat in the Università of Mdina in 1525.[4] According to tradition, Cumbo's daughter was abducted from the tower by Barbary pirates shortly before or during her wedding.[5] The bride's story became a folk tale and the subject of a ballad, and although there is no solid evidence of her abduction,[6] there are records that a raid on Mosta occurred in 1526 during which some 400 people were captured and enslaved.[7]
The present building was constructed in around the 19th century.[2] The building served as an officers' mess during World War II.[8]
Nowadays, the tower hosts a reservoir belonging to Malta's Water Services Corporation which receives water from Chadwick Lakes through an underground channel.[9]
The tower was scheduled as a grade 2 national monument by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in 2012.[7][10]
Architecture
[edit]
The building has three floors,[2] and it forms part of a large plot of land including a garden. A niche is located along the main façade, and the property also includes another arched entrance which leads to the gardens.[7] The grounds include servants' quarters and a coach house.[2]
In popular culture
[edit]- The tower is visible in the 2016 film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
References
[edit]- ↑ Di Stefano, Giovanni; Cassar, George (eds.). The revaluation of catacombs as a common symbol towards the meaning of traditions across borders. pp. 14–15.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Historical Places". Mosta Local Council. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ↑ "Corrupt judges in the times of the Order". The Malta Independent. 23 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024.
- ↑ Cassar Pullicino, Giuseppe (1988). "La leggenda Maltese della sposa della Mosta : due varianti inedite e la "Scibilia Nobili" siciliana" (PDF). Journal of Maltese Studies (in Italian) (17–18): 164–180. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2021.
- ↑ Spiteri, Charles B. (2019). "Is-serqa tal-għarusa tal-Mosta" (PDF). Festa Santa Marija Mosta 2019 (in Maltese): 130–131. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2024.
- ↑ Camilleri, Anthony (1994). "Pinzellati u riflessjonijiet fuq l-istorja soċjali Mostija" (PDF). Festa Santa Marija Mosta (in Maltese): 25–31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Cumbo Tower". Times of Malta. 19 April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025.
- ↑ McDonald, Paul (30 November 2015). Malta's Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton DSO* DFC** DFC (USA). Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473860087 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "North West Local Plan – Ta' Qali Action Plan". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016.
- ↑ "Protection granted to a further 29 buildings and sites". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. 2012. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Cumbo Tower at Wikimedia Commons
