Fort Saint Michael ( mt, Forti San Mikiel) was a small fort in the land front of the city of Senglea,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

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

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta ( 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 to 13 September ...

of 1565. Following the siege, it was rebuilt as Saint Michael Cavalier ( mt, Kavallier ta' San Mikiel), and it was completed in 1581. The cavalier was partially demolished in the 20th century, and only a part of its base still exists 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 armored 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" me ...

. In 1551, the Ottomans attacked Malta and later invaded Gozo. This prompted the Order's Grand Master,

Juan de Homedes y Coscon Fra' Juan de Homedes y Coscón (c. 1477 – 6 September 1553) was a Spanish knight of Aragon who served as the 47th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1536 and 1553. Early life Little is known about de Homedes' early life, except ...

, 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 ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...

. The first stone of the fort on ''l'Isola'' was laid on 8 May 1552 by de Homedes himself. The fort 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 ( mt, Forti Sant'Iermu) 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 ...

Calvert Jones, The Dockyard at Senglea, Malta 1846

The fort was extended to a fortified city named Senglea 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 langue ...

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 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 of the siege. It withstood 10 assaults from the Ottoman attackers. The

fortifications of Senglea The fortifications of Senglea ( mt, Is-Swar tal-Isla) 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 ...

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 King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). ...

, consisting of a tower with a casemated interior, which had a terrace platform with ten embrasures. In 1687, Don

Carlos de Grunenbergh Carlos de Grunenbergh, also known as Carlo Grunenberg (died 1696), was a Flemish architect and military engineer active in the late 17th century. He mainly designed fortifications in Sicily and Malta. He was also a member of the Order of Saint Joh ...

visited the fort and recommended the addition of a faussebraye. 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 Saint Michael 16th-century fortifications Demolished buildings and structures in Malta Buildings and structures demolished in 1921 Senglea Limestone buildings in Malta