Fort Saint Michael () was a small

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

in the land front of the city of

Senglea Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the Port Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa, and has a popu ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was originally built in the 1552 and played a significant role in the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese language, Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May t ...

of 1565. Following the siege, it was rebuilt as Saint Michael Cavalier (), and was completed in 1581. The cavalier was partially demolished in the 20th century, and only a part of its base remains today.

Construction and history

In 1537 d’Homedes renovated a villa and surrounded it with a

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...

. In 1551, the Ottomans attacked Malta and later invaded Gozo. This prompted the Order's Grand Master, Juan de Homedes y Coscon, to strengthen the defences of the island. Two new forts were needed, one on the Sciberras Peninsula, and one on the smaller peninsula then known as ''Isola di San Michele'', which was formed by Dockyard Creek and French Creek in

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour (; ), also known as the Port of Marsa, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, and fortifications. Description The h ...

. The first stone of the

on ''l'Isola'' was laid on 8 May 1552 by de Homedes himself. Fort Saint Michael was built to a design by the

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

Pedro Pardo d’Andrera. The second fort, located on the Sciberras Peninsula, was called

Fort Saint Elmo Fort Saint Elmo () is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ri ...

. Both new forts were built in the remarkably short period of six months in 1552. Fort Saint Michael was extended to a fortified city named

by Grand Master

Claude de la Sengle Fra' Claude de la Sengle (1494 – 18 August 1557) was the 48th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 1553 to his death in 1557. His successor was Fra' Jean Parisot de Valette. A native Frenchman, Sengle, then Bailli of the French langu ...

during the Knights' preparations for the anticipated

. The siege eventually came in 1565, and St Michael was one of three forts defending the Knights stronghold in Grand Harbour, along with

Fort St Angelo Fort St. Angelo ( or ) is a 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 (; ). It was rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort ca ...

and Fort St Elmo. The latter fell, but Fort St Michael and Fort St Angelo both withstood the siege. Fort St Michael was severely damaged, as it had been the scene of some of the most desperate fighting and bombardment of the siege. It withstood 10 assaults from the Ottoman attackers. The

fortifications of Senglea The fortifications of Senglea () are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround the city of Senglea, Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Michael in 1552, and the majority of the fortifications were ...

was rebuilt after the siege, and the redevelopment continued until 1581. Fort St. Michael was converted to a

cavalier The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

, consisting of a tower with a casemated interior, which had a terrace platform with ten embrasures. In 1687, Don Carlos de Grunenbergh visited the fort and recommended the addition of a

faussebraye A faussebraye () is a defensive wall located outside the main walls of a fortification. It is of a lower height than the main walls, and is preceded by a ditch. In Greek and Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Em ...

. He decided to finance the expenses himself.

Destruction

St. Michael Cavalier was largely dismantled in 1921 to make way for a school. A small part of the structure's lower section was retained and was used as the base of a clock tower. Today, the bastion at Senglea Point, which is known as "the Spur", is often mistakenly referred to as Fort Saint Michael, although the fort was actually located at the opposite end of the city.

References

{{Authority control

Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

16th-century fortifications Demolished buildings and structures in Malta Buildings and structures demolished in 1921 Senglea Limestone buildings in Malta