Be the first to comment!Ravelin undergoes restoration and rehabilitation at Citadel entrance
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Restoration and rehabilitation works on the Ravelin structure at the Citadel entrance has started, at an estimated cost of around €65,000.
This was announced during a visit to the Citadel, by the Minister for Gozo, Clint Camilleri, who explained that it will be carried out in two phases.
In the first phase the existing soil and paving will be removed and the second phase will consist of placing waterproofing matting on a concrete bed and paving the entire Ravelin with hard stone. There will also be landscaping on site with the appropriate lighting and furniture, he said.
This small triangular Ravelin, open at the gorge, once protected the main approach road into the citadel and had eight embrasures, four on each face. The structure was built on the remains of medieval ruins, which was revealed in the course of archaeological excavations.
The Minister for Gozo went on to say that this work is very necessary in order to eliminate the infiltration of water in parts of the Ravelin which was damaging both the walls of the Ravelin and the archaeological remains, including part of a Roman wall.
Director of Cultural Heritage John Xuereb explained that “over time the strategic building of the Citadel Ravelin has been modified many times and is now barely distinguishable from the original one built by the Knights of St. John.”
“However, this structure still has its historical importance and as the directorate responsible for the protection of the Citadel we felt it our duty to carry out the necessary restoration so that this historical heritage can continue to be enjoyed in the years to come,” he added.
Due to the sensitivity of the site, all work will be carried out under the supervision of an archaeologist, in continuous consultation with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
This restoration is a small part of a full maintenance and restoration programme that the Directorate for Cultural Heritage within the Ministry for Gozo intends to carry out in the Citadel in the coming months, it said.
