Fort St Angelo

Fort St Angelo occupies the rock at the end of the Birgu peninsula and has been fortified since at least the medieval period, rebuilt by the Knights from the 1530s and again in the 1690s. It was Jean de Valette's headquarters during the Great Siege of 1565 and the point from which the harbour was controlled. The British held it as a naval establishment, and it now sits restored, with the Order of St John retaining the upper part under agreement.

Background

The fort began as a medieval castle called the Castrum Maris, the castle by the sea. The Order of Saint John turned it into a bastioned fort between the 1530s and the 1560s, and a major rebuilding in the 1690s to designs by Carlos de Grunenbergh gave it the shape it has today. The British kept a garrison here from 1800 to 1979, at times classing it as a stone frigate, HMS Egmont and later HMS St Angelo. Since 1998 the upper part has belonged to the Order of Malta, and the fort has been on Malta's tentative UNESCO list since that same year.

Source: Wikipedia, "Fort St. Angelo"

What you'll find

• The 1565 command post - the fort from which the Great Siege was directed.
• The layered building - medieval, Hospitaller and British work in the same structure.
• The harbour position - the rock commanding the entrance to the Grand Harbour.
• The chapels - the medieval chapel of St Anne and the later religious spaces.

When to go

March to June and September to November are most comfortable. It closes on some weekdays and hours are shorter in winter. Mornings are quietest.

What to expect

The upper part of the fort is not open to visitors. The climb through the levels is steep with many steps. Interpretation is patchy in places.

Nearby

Birgu is behind it, and Valletta is across the harbour.

Key facts