The Couvre Porte

The entrance to Vittoriosa

The Couvre Porte presents an impressive and complex gateway structure that provided access into the city of Vittoriosa. There are three gates from the early 18th century that remained majestic as they were:  The Advanced Gate, the Couvre Porte and the Gate of Provence.

The Advanced Gate is the first of three gates on the side of Birgu. It is also known as the Gate of Aragon, as it was built on the Post of Aragon. It dates back to 1722 and it is decorated with extraordinary engravings, although unfortunately they have been partially damaged by the rising up against the French in 1798.

The Couvre Porte, was the second gate to be built under the direction of the military engineers C.F. de Mondion and L.F. de Tigne', between 1716 and 1730. The gateway Gallery, that has now been rehabilitated by the Birgu Local Council, can be used as an exhibition hall or a conference hall.

The Gate of Provence, also known as the Main Gate, has the essentialism of military fortification and was one of the latest to be built. A marble tablet celebrates the construction of the fortifications and remind the visitor of the title "vittoriosa" (victorious) the city was awarded with for resisting the siege of Soliman the Magnificent.