Fort Saint Michael
Encyclopedia
Fort St Michael was a fortification
on the island of Malta
.
A fort of that name was built by the Knights of Malta
between 1551 and 1565 on the peninsula
then known as Isla St Michael formed by Dockyard Creek and French Creek
in Grand Harbour
.
This area is still known as L-Isla, but is now occupied by the fortified city of Senglea
.
The original fort on this site was begun in 1551, initially under the patronage of Grand Master
Juan de Homedes y Coscon
, to a design by the Military engineer
Pedro Pardo d’Andrera, and extended to a fortified city by Grand Master Claude de la Sengle
during the Knights' preparations for the Siege of Malta
.
Fort St Michael was one of three forts defending the Knights stronghold in Grand Harbour during the siege, along with Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo
. Fort St Elmo fell, but Fort St Michael withstood the siege, though massively damaged, the scene of some of the most desperate fighting of the siege. It withstood 10 assaults from the Ottoman Turkish attackers.
The rebuilding and development of the fortified city of Senglea after the siege continuing until 1581.The name Fort St Michael became associated with the landward bastion of Senglea, also known as the St Michael Battery, or the St. Michael's cavalier. This was largely dismantled during extensions to the dockyard area at the end of the 19th century and construction of a new primary school in the 1920s. The remainder was badly damaged by aerial bombing during the second world war. After the war the ruins were dismantled and the site made into a public garden.
The impressive seaward bastions of Senglea remain however, heir to Fort St Michael's original site and purpose, as does the Senglea Main Gate, which has recently been restored, after the post war reconstruction collapsed in the late 1960s due to heavy rainfall.
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
on the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
A fort of that name was built by the Knights of Malta
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
between 1551 and 1565 on the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
then known as Isla St Michael formed by Dockyard Creek and French Creek
French Creek
-Communities:United States*French Creek, former name of Frenchtown, El Dorado County, California*French Creek Township, Allamakee County, Iowa*French Creek, New York*French Creek Township, Pennsylvania *French Creek, West Virginia...
in Grand Harbour
Grand Harbour
Grand Harbour is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times...
.
This area is still known as L-Isla, but is now occupied by the fortified city of Senglea
Senglea
Senglea is a fortified city in the east of Malta, mainly in the Grand Harbour area. It is one of the Three Cities in the east of Malta, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa. The city of Senglea is also called Civitas Invicta, because it managed to resist the Ottoman invasion at the Great...
.
Grand Master (order)
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various military orders, religious orders and civil orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order...
Juan de Homedes y Coscon
Juan de Homedes y Coscon
Fra Juan de Homedes y Coscon was a Spanish Knights Hospitaller. He was the 47th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1536 and 1553...
, to a design by the Military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
Pedro Pardo d’Andrera, and extended to a fortified city by Grand Master Claude de la Sengle
Claude de la Sengle
Fra' Claude de la Sengle was the 48th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1553 his death. His successor was Fra' Jean Parisot de la Valette....
during the Knights' preparations for the Siege of Malta
Siege of Malta (1565)
The Siege of Malta took place in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire invaded the island, then held by the Knights Hospitaller .The Knights, together with between 4-5,000 Maltese men,...
.
Fort St Michael was one of three forts defending the Knights stronghold in Grand Harbour during the siege, along with Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo
Fort St Angelo
Fort St Angelo is a large fortification in Birgu, Malta, right at the centre of Grand Harbour.-History:Medieval TimesThe date of its original construction is unknown. However, there are claims of prehistoric or classical buildings near the site, due to some large ashlar blocks and an Egyptian pink...
. Fort St Elmo fell, but Fort St Michael withstood the siege, though massively damaged, the scene of some of the most desperate fighting of the siege. It withstood 10 assaults from the Ottoman Turkish attackers.
The rebuilding and development of the fortified city of Senglea after the siege continuing until 1581.The name Fort St Michael became associated with the landward bastion of Senglea, also known as the St Michael Battery, or the St. Michael's cavalier. This was largely dismantled during extensions to the dockyard area at the end of the 19th century and construction of a new primary school in the 1920s. The remainder was badly damaged by aerial bombing during the second world war. After the war the ruins were dismantled and the site made into a public garden.
The impressive seaward bastions of Senglea remain however, heir to Fort St Michael's original site and purpose, as does the Senglea Main Gate, which has recently been restored, after the post war reconstruction collapsed in the late 1960s due to heavy rainfall.