Talk:Santa Margherita Lines

Lead section

The lead section was recently edited as follows:

The Santa Margherita Lines, also known as the Firenzuola Lines, are a line of fortification in Cospicua, Malta. They were built in the 17th and 18th centuries to protect the city of Bormla Cospicua and the land front defences of the other two Cities of Birgu and Senglea. Bormla is also surrounded by a second line of fortifications, known as the Cottonera Lines. This line of fortifications commenced in 1670 was originally intended as the new city of Civitas Cottonera, the new name for Bormla. Unfortunately it never came to fruition due to the 1675/6 plague and Grand Master Nicola Cotoner's death in 1680.

The sections in bold are not true:

• In the 17th century, Cospicua/Bormla was not a city yet - it was only a countryside resort. The town began to develop after the Santa Margherita Lines began to be built, and was granted the status of a city in 1722 when the lines were nearing completion (source: Local Council website).
• The city "Civitas Cottonera" was never built because the city's fortifications (the Cottonera Lines) were left incomplete due to a lack of funds. Although the fortifications were completed in the 18th century (except for their ditch, cavaliers, glacis etc), a city did not develop within the lines. (source: National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands) Although it seems plausible that the plague outbreak was one of the reasons that the city was not built, I can't find a source about this. If anyone has a reliable source, it would be good to include it in the article.

Xwejnusgozo (talk) 14:45, 6 July 2015 (UTC)