Fort St Angelo

A few days ago we thought we had spent some time exploring Fort St Angelo...NO...we had actually been exploring another fortification adjoining the Malta War Museum...tourists, eh!  Seen one fortification...

Today we found our way to the real Fort St Angelo...what a beauty!

The Fort had existed in some form in centuries BC, and is referenced in documentation from the 13th century.  On their arrival in 1530, the Order of St John enlarged and updated the fortification, and made it their headquarters.  By the time of the British colonisation, the Knights had moved their headquarters over to Valletta and, in 1906, the Royal Navy took over the Fort and transformed it into the "unsinkable ship" known as HMS Egmont, later re-named HMS St Angelo.  The Royal Navy finally left the the Fort in 1979.

Today, the Fort is home to the Knight Resident of Fort St Angelo, John Edward Critien, under the terms of an agreement with the Maltese government in 1998 granting the Order the use of the upper part of the Fort for 99 years.  The upper part of the Fort comprises the Magisterial Palace, garden areas and St Anne's Chapel, parts of which have recently been opened for public access.

The restoration of the Fort is almost a work of art, and there are some rooms within the barracks creatively set up with informative displays and films.  I loved the old photos of service personnel, and there was one film containing recent interviews with British and Maltese personnel, remembering their time at the Fort.  To them, the Fort had been their home and they were very emotional as they remembered.

So glad we found the real thing!