Vittorio Cassar

Vittorio Cassar
Born	c.1550 Birgu, Malta
Died	1607 (aged c.57) Gozo
Nationality	Maltese
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Wignacourt towers various churches

Parish church of the Assumption of Mary, Birkirkara. The roof and dome of the church collapsed in an earthquake in 1856. The church was later restored, but the dome was never rebuilt and damage can still be seen on the pedament.

Vittorio Cassar was a Maltese architect and military engineer in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He designed several churches and coastal fortifications.

Life

Vittorio Cassar was born around 1550 in the town of Birgu. His father was the architect Girolamo Cassar and his mother Mattea Cassar. In the 1570s, his family moved to Strada Pia (now Melita Street) in the newly built capital city Valletta where his father had designed many buildings.

He was also accused and sentenced by the Roman Inquisition for the practice of magic. It is now believed that his 'sins' were possession of banned books.

While Vittorio Cassar is not as well known as his father, he still designed a number of important buildings. A number of these were designed by him, but were actually built many years after his death. Among the buildings attributed to him, there are:

• Our Lady of Victories Parish Church, Senglea (1580)
• Saint Philip Parish Church, Żebbuġ (1599-1613)
• Wignacourt Tower, Saint Paul's Bay (1610)
• Saint Lucian Tower, Marsaxlokk (1610-1611)
• Saint Thomas Tower, Marsaskala (1614)
• Assumption of Mary Parish Church, Birkirkara (1617-1655)
• Saint Mary's Tower, Comino (1618)

Cassar died in 1607 on the island of Gozo. He was buried in the chapel of Saint Barbara within the Walls in the Cittadella.