Tas-Samra Battery, Artillery battery in Hamrun, Malta
Tas-Samra Battery was an artillery fortification in Hamrun built on a small hill with a V-shaped gun platform. It featured five gun embrasures and stone sentry boxes positioned along its eastern face.
The battery was built in 1798 during the French blockade and contained nine cannons as part of a defensive ring protecting French-held positions. It served as a key defensive strongpoint controlling access to the area.
The battery took its name from the Chapel of Our Lady of Atocia, called tas-Samra in Maltese, which still stands after the fortification disappeared. You can see how this religious site remains deeply linked to the military past of the area.
The site is located in Hamrun and accessible from main roads leading toward the chapel area. Visitors should be aware that the location sits on elevated ground, so there is some slope to navigate.
During intense French bombardment, Maltese defenders raised a black flag and erected a wooden cross atop the chapel as acts of resistance. These symbolic gestures held deep meaning for the people defending their land.
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