Lija Belvedere Tower | |
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General information | |
Status | Intact |
Type | Folly |
Architectural style | Neoclassic |
Location | Lija, Malta |
Named for | Lija |
Completed | 1857 |
Owner | Government of Malta |
Technical details | |
Material | Limestone |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Giuseppe Bonavia |
The Lija Belvedere Tower, officially Torri Belvedere, is a belvedere in Lija, Malta. It was built in the 19th century as a folly within a private garden, and it is now located on a roundabout.
The belvedere tower was built in 1857 as a folly within the gardens of Villa Gourigon, a 17th-century villa which belonged to the Marquis Depiro.[1] It was designed by the architect Giuseppe Bonavia.[2]
In the 1950s, part of the villa's garden was destroyed to make way for Transfiguration Avenue. The belvedere was retained as a roundabout, and it is now one of Lija's landmarks.[3]
The tower was restored in 1995 and 1996, and it is listed as a Grade 1 property by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.[3][4] It is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands as part of Villa Gourgion.[1]