Santa Marija Tower

Comino's only fortification

Santa Marija tower in Comino, was built in 1618 by Grandmaster de Wignacourt on a site that is 80 metres above sea-level, as part of the chain of towers that provided defence and communication between the two larger islands of Malta and Gozo. 

The tower is 12 metres high, and has a squarish plan with four turrets in the corner. Its walls are around six metres thick and the tower is surrounded by a thick, high rubble wall giving the impression that it was bordered by a ditch. In the movie The Count of Monte Cristo, Santa Marija Tower featured as the infamous prison of Chateau d'If.

Santa Marija Tower was restored by Din l-Art Helwa in 2004 and is open to the public on  from April to end of October when the flag is flying.