Fort St. Angelo

Fort St. Angelo
Forti Sant'Anġlu (Maltese)
Part of the fortifications of Birgu
Birgu, Malta
Fort St. Angelo as seen from the Upper Barrakka Gardens
Map of Fort St. Angelo
Coordinates	35°53′31″N 14°31′6″E / 35.89194°N 14.51833°E / 35.89194; 14.51833
Type	Bastioned fort; previously a castle
Area	13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft)[1]
Site information
Owner	Government of Malta
Controlled by	Cottonera Waterfront Group Heritage Malta Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Open to the public	Most of fort, partially on occasions
Condition	Intact
Site history
Built	c. 13th century–1691
Built by	Order of Saint John
In use	c. 13th century–1979
Materials	Limestone
Battles/wars	Battle of Malta Attack of 1551 Great Siege of Malta Siege of Malta (1798–1800) Siege of Malta (World War II)
Garrison information
Garrison	450[citation needed]

Fort St. Angelo (Maltese: Forti Sant'Anġlu or Fortizza Sant'Anġlu) is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the Castrum Maris (English: Castle by the Sea; Italian: Castello al Mare). It was rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort called Fort Saint Angelo between the 1530s and the 1560s, and it is best known for its role as the Order's headquarters during the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. A major reconstruction to designs of Carlos de Grunenbergh took place in the 1690s, giving the fort its current appearance.

The fort was garrisoned by the British from 1800 to 1979, at times being classified as a stone frigate known as HMS Egmont or later HMS St Angelo. The fort suffered considerable damage during World War II, but it was later restored. In 1998, the upper part of the fort was handed to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Fort St. Angelo has been on Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998, as part of the Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta.^[2]