Fort Saint Angelo

Fort Saint Angelo
Forti Sant'Anġlu
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; 14.51833Coordinates: 35°53′31″N 14°31′6″E / 35.89194°N 14.51833°E / 35.89194; 14.51833
Type	Castle, later a bastioned fort
Area	13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft)
Site information
Owner	Government of Malta
Controlled by	Sovereign Military Order of Malta Heritage Malta Cottonera Waterfront Group
Open to the public	Yes
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)

Fort Saint Angelo (Maltese: Forti Sant'Anġlu or Fortizza Sant'Anġlu) is a large 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 or the 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 1690s, and it is best known for its role as the Order's headquarters during the Great Siege of Malta of 1565.

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 has handed back 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.

The 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 granite column at the top part of the fort. There is also the mentioning in Roman texts of a temple dedicated to Juno/Astarte, probably in the vicinity of the fort. There is also the popular attribute to its foundation to the Arabs, c. 870 AD, but nothing is concrete although al-Himyarī mentions that the Arabs dismantled a hisn (fortress), but there is no actual reference if this 'fortress' was in Birgu.