Fort St Angelo

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Fort St Angelo is a large fortification on the island of Malta.

It stands at the head of the peninsula that separates Kalkara Creek from Dockyard Creek in a commanding position central to Grand Harbour. The date of its original construction is unknown and may date back to Roman times. It existed in the early medieval period at least. 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 - The castle by the sea - home of 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, though not all parties seem to view this as having been done sympathetically to the site.

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

West face of the fort, from Dockyard Creek	Main Gate	West face of the seaward bastion	Inscription over the gate
Chapel	Bell