Fort St Angelo

Fort St Angelo is a large fortification in Birgu, Malta.

History

The date of its original construction is unknown and may date back to Roman times. It certainly existed in the early medieval period. The remains of a tower that may date back to the 11th century when Malta was under Arab control can be traced among the more recent works. From the 14th century the Maltese Islands were under Aragonese rule and the fortification was known as "Castello a Mare" (Castle by the sea) and it was home to the powerful Nava family, feudal lords of the island.

When the the Knights of Malta arrived in Malta in 1530, they chose to settle in Birgu, and Fort St Angelo became the seat of the Grand Master. The Knights made this their primary fortification and substantially reinforced and remodelled it. Fort St Angelo withstood the Turks during the Siege of Malta, though in the aftermath of that siege the Knights built the fortified city of Valletta on Mount Sciberras across the other side of Grand Harbour, and the administrative centre for the knights moved there.

With the coming of the British to Malta the fort retained its importance as a military installation, and the fort was listed as a ship, originally in 1912 as HMS" Egremont", but in 1933 renamed as HMS "St Angelo".

Today parts of the fort are leased to the Order of the Knights of St John. Other parts are used as a maritime Museum.

The fortification has also undergone some recent repair [cite web|title=Ministary of Resources & Infrastructure|url=http://www.mri.gov.mt/works_projects_stangelo.htm|accessdate=2007-02-14] , though not all parties seem to view this as having been done sympathetically to the site [cite web|title=Malta Today interview with Mario Farrugia of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, The Malta Heritage Trust|url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2002/0825/people2.html|accessdate=2007-02-14]

Access to the site

Presently the majority of the site is accessible to the public, only part of the top level of the fort is restricted access.

Coordinates: coord|35|53|31|N|14|31|6|E|type:landmark

References