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French architect and military engineer (1681-1733)
Charles François de Mondion (6 October 1681 – 25 December 1733) was a
French
architect and
military engineer who was active in
Hospitaller Malta in the early 18th century. He was also a member of the
Order of Saint John .
[1]
Career
Mondion was born in
Paris , and he studied military engineering under
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban . He first arrived in Malta in 1715 during the magistracy of
Grand Master
Ramon Perellos y Roccaful of the
Order of St. John . His early work was as deputy to the military engineer
René Jacob de Tigné . One of his early works was the second
Marsalforn Tower , which however no longer exists.
[2]
Mondion was eventually admitted into the Order of St. John as a Cavaliere di Grazia , and he obtained permanent residency in Malta.
[3]
Mondion is buried in the
crypt of the Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua in
Fort Manoel
Grand Master
António Manoel de Vilhena 's accession in June 1722 created a significant opportunity for Mondion, as the new Prince of Malta decided to unleash an ambitious building programme. On 3 November 1722, Vilhena issued orders for the restoration of the former capital
Mdina and
its fortifications ,
[4] and entrusted de Mondion with this renovation. Mondion designed a number of
Baroque buildings in the city, including the
Main Gate , the portal of
Greeks Gate , the
Torre dello Standardo ,
Palazzo Vilhena , the
Banca Giuratale and the
Corte Capitanale .
[5]
Mondion was also involved in the construction or modifications of the
Floriana Lines ,
[6]
Fort Manoel ,
[7] the
fortifications of Birgu
[8] and the
Santa Margherita Lines .
[9] He designed several gates within these fortifications, including
Porte des Bombes and
St. Helen's Gate .
[10]
[11]
His unexpected death in 1733 cut short a promising career. Mondion was buried in the
crypt of the
Chapel of St Anthony of Padua within Fort Manoel.
[12]
Gallery
Buildings designed by Mondion
Couvre Porte Gate (1722)
Advanced Gate (1723)
Portal of
Greeks Gate (1724)
Gate of Provence (1727)
References
^
"Mdina the Silent City | A Place Full of Wonderful Things to do" .
^ Spiteri, Stephen C. (2013).
"In Defence of the Coast (I) - The Bastioned Towers" . Arx - International Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (3): 48. Archived from
the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2015 .
^ De Lucca, Denis.
"The Contribution of François de Mondion in the Architectural Development of 18th Century Malta" . militaryarchitecture.com . Archived from
the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2015 .
^ De Lucca, Denis (1979). "Mdina: Baroque town planning in 18th century Mdina". Heritage: An Encyclopedia of Maltese Culture and Civilization . 1 . Midsea Books Ltd: 21–25.
^ De Lucca, Denis (1979). "Mdina: Mondion's master plan for the old city". Heritage: An Encyclopedia of Maltese Culture and Civilization . 1 . Midsea Books Ltd: 53–56.
^ Spiteri, Stephen C. (2004–2007).
"The Development of the Bastion of Provence, Floriana Lines" (PDF) . Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (1–4): 29–31. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015 .
^ Spiteri, Stephen C. (2014).
"Fort Manoel" . ARX Occasional Papers . 4 . Archived from
the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2015 .
^
"St James Bastion - Birgu" (PDF) . National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands . 28 June 2013. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015 .
^
"St John Almoner Bastion – Sta Margherita Lines" (PDF) . National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands . 28 June 2013. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015 .
^ De Lucca, Denis (1981).
"The contribution of Francois de Mondion in the architectural development of 18th century Malta" (PDF) . Proceedings of History Week : 78. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016.
^ Spiteri, Stephen C. (6 September 2010).
"Porta dei Mortari" . MilitaryArchitecture.com . Archived from
the original on 20 September 2016.
^
"Descendant visits Mondion's masterpiece, Fort Manoel" .
Times of Malta . 31 August 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2015 .
Further reading
De Lucca, Denis (2003). Mondion: The Achievement of a French Military Engineer Working in Malta in the Early Eighteenth Century .
Malta : Midsea Books.
ISBN
9789993239246 .