António Manoel de Vilhena

António Manoel de Vilhena
Painting of Grand Master de Vilhena
Grand Master of the Order of Saint John
In office 19 June 1722 – 10 December 1736
Monarch	King Charles IV King Charles V
Preceded by	Marc'Antonio Zondadari
Succeeded by	Ramon Despuig
Personal details
Born	28 May 1663 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	10 December 1736 (1736-12-11) (aged 73) Malta
Resting place	St. John's Co-Cathedral
Nationality	Portuguese
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Military service
Allegiance	Order of Saint John

António Manoel de Vilhena (28 May 1663 – 10 December 1736) was a Portuguese nobleman who was the 66th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736. Unlike a number of the other Grand Masters, he was benevolent and popular with the Maltese people. Vilhena is mostly remembered for the founding of Floriana, the construction of Fort Manoel and the Manoel Theatre, and the renovation of the city of Mdina.

António Manoel de Vilhena was born in Lisbon on 28 May 1663 to the aristocrat and general Dom Sancho Manoel de Vilhena, 1st Count de Vila Flor and his first wife, Ana de Noronha. His father fought in wars in central Europe, in Brazil against the Dutch, and in the Portuguese Restoration War against the Spanish Crown. Vilhena was also a remote descendant by one of his direct paternal branches of the noble and royal Castilian House of Manuel de Villena (). He was a remote uncle of the Duke of Terceira.

De Vilhena was elected Grand Master on 19 June 1722, three days after the death of his predecessor Marc'Antonio Zondadari. On 20 September 1722, Vilhena took possession of the city of Mdina. He was impressed by the warm welcome he received in the traditional ceremony, and on 3 November of the same year he issued orders for restoration of the city's fortifications and renovation of the entire city. The renovation was entrusted to the French architect Charles François de Mondion, who designed a number of Baroque buildings in the largely medieval city. Buildings constructed in Mdina during Vilhena's magistracy include the Mdina Gate, the Torre dello Standardo, Palazzo Vilhena, the Banca Giuratale and the Corte Capitanale.