Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago
The Santiago
The reconstructed main gate of Fort Santiago
Location within Metro Manila
General information
Type	Bastioned fort
Architectural style	Italian-Spanish school of fortification
Location	along Pasig River
Town or city	Manila
Country	Philippines
Coordinates	14°35′42″N 120°58′10″E / 14.59500°N 120.96944°E / 14.59500; 120.96944Coordinates: 14°35′42″N 120°58′10″E / 14.59500°N 120.96944°E / 14.59500; 120.96944
Construction started	1590
Completed	1593
Renovated	1733
Dimensions
Other dimensions	2,030 feet (620 m) perimeter
Technical details
Structural system	Masonry
Design and construction
Architect	Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas (1590) Fernándo Valdés y Tamon (1730s)
Structural engineer	Leonardo Iturriano
Designations	National Historical Landmark

Fort Santiago (Spanish: Fuerte de Santiago; Filipino: Moóg ng Santiago) is a citadel first built by Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi for the new established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila referred to as Intramuros.

The fort is one of the most important historical sites in Manila. Several lives were lost in its prisons during the Spanish Colonial Period and World War II. José Rizal, the Philippine national hero, was imprisoned here before his execution in 1896. The Rizal Shrine museum displays memorabilia of the hero in their collection and the fort features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his footsteps representing his final walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution.

It is only a few meters away from the Manila Cathedral and the Palacio del Gobernador (lit. Governor's Palace, currently the office of the Commission on Elections).

The fort was named after Saint James (Santiago in Spanish), the patron saint of Spain, who is also known as Saint James the Muslim-slayer because of the legend that he miraculously appeared hundreds of years after his death to fight in the battle of Clavijo, whose relief adorns the façade of the front gate. It is located at the mouth of the Pasig River and served as the premier defense fortress of the Spanish Government during their rule of the country. It became a main fort for the spice trade to the Americas and Europe for 333 years. The Manila Galleon trade to Acapulco, Mexico began from the Fuerte de Santiago.