Antonio Cachia

Antonio Cachia (1739–1813) was a Maltese architect, civil and military engineer and archaeologist who was active in the late 18th and early 19th century.

Church of St. Dominic in Valletta, which was designed by Cachia in 1804

Fort Tigné, whose construction was overseen by Cachia

He was the son of the architect Gio Domenico Cachia, who was possibly the same person as Domenico Cachia, the capomastro who supervised the construction of Auberge de Castille.[1] He was a cousin of Michele Cachia, another architect and military engineer.[2]

Cachia became Capomastro delle Opere in 1779. In 1787, he received the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the Golden Spur by Pope Pius VI. He was in charge of works on various fortifications, including the upgrading of Fort Ricasoli and the construction of Fort Tigné.[2] In Valletta, he designed or built the Church of St. Dominic,[3] the Church of St. Augustine and St. Catherine's Monastery. He is said to have completed the Bibliotheca, which had been designed by Stefano Ittar.[1]

Cachia also designed several gardens, including the Ġonna tal-Kmand in various localities around Malta and the Lower Argotti Gardens in Floriana. He also redesigned the Floriana Granaries and the Market House (now known as Middle Sea House). Cachia eventually became chief Superintendent of the Civil dockyard.[1]

Throughout his life, Cachia was a member of several European architectural academies. He died on 6 June 1813.[1]

Further reading

• Art and Architecture in Malta in the Early Nineteenth Century. p. 5.

References

1. Schiavone, Michael J. (2009). Dictionary of Maltese Biographies Vol. 1 A-F. Pietà: Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza. p. 378. ISBN 9789993291329.
2. Spiteri, Stephen C. (2011). "Fort Tigné 1792". Arx – International Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (1): 50, 65.
3. "Our Lady of Fair Heavens (San Duminku), Valletta". Times of Malta. 12 November 2011. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016.