Fort San Felipe (Cavite)
| Fort San Felipe | |
|---|---|
| Moog ng San Felipe Neri | |
| Part of Naval Base Cavite | |
| Cavite City in the Philippines | |
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 Fort San Felipe
Location of Fort San Felipe in the Philippines
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| Coordinates | 14°28′54.5″N 120°55′0″E / 14.481806°N 120.91667°ECoordinates: 14°28′54.5″N 120°55′0″E / 14.481806°N 120.91667°E |
| Type | Fortress |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Government of the Philippines |
| Controlled by |
 Philippine Navy
|
| Open to the public |
No |
| Condition | Partly demolished in the early 20th century |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1609 |
| Built by | Spanish East Indies |
| Materials | Granite and concrete |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Manila Bay |
| Events |
Cavite mutiny of 1872 Execution of the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite in 1896 |
Fort San Felipe (Filipino: Moog ng San Felipe Neri) is a military fortress in Cavite City, in the Province of Cavite, Philippines. It was constructed by Spanish military in 1609 in the first port town of Cavite, the historic core of the present and larger Cavite City, for its protection. Less than half of the original historic structure survives today. The remaining structure is made of granite blocks with 30-foot high walls and features a wide stairway leading to the top of the bastions and remaining walls. Naval memorabilia including antique cannons and cannonballs decorate the lawns of the fortification. Fort San Felipe is located within the 9-hectare (22-acre) Naval Base Cavite of the Philippine Navy and is not open to the public.
At present, the name Fort San Felipe also refers to the area of the present Cavite City where the first historic port town Cavite (also known as Cavite Nuevo then Cavite Puerto) and the Cavite Arsenal (now Naval Base Cavite) were located. It is now part of the San Roque district of Cavite City.
As early as 1591, Gov. Gomez Perez Dasmariñas recognized the strategic importance of Cavite Puerto as the gateway to the City of Manila and moved toward its fortification. It was in fact at this isthmus, two decades earlier, that Miguel de Legazpi hid his ships prior to the attack in Manila.
Constructed between 1609 and 1616, Fort San Felipe is the first military fortress built in the province of Cavite during the time of Governor Juan de Silva. According to a report in 1659 of Governor Sabiniano Manrique de Lara: "it was quadrilateral in form, with four corner bastions, and had a perimeter of 220 feet (67 m). It was built to face the Cavite Port and Manila. Furthermore, a cube or platform enough for 10 cannons and named Santa Catalina the Martyr was nearby. Facing San Felipe were the ruins of the casa real which had another low platform for eight cannons. However, it was in bad state and had to be repaired."
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Wikipedia