Andrea Cassar Delia

0282204L
San Andrea School
MATSEC Examination Yr.
2020

Malta’s Coastal Defense System

Under the Order of St. John
 Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1: The Coastal Defence system under the Order of St. John ................................. 3
Chapter 2: A Dive into the History of Fort St. Angelo under the Knights ........................... 7
Chapter 3: Delving Deeper into Fort St. Angelo and its role after the Knights ................. 9
Chapter 4: Analysis of Interview and Questionnaires ............................................................ 13
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 30
Appendix 1: Delving into The Order of St. John ...................................................................... 31
Appendix 2: Questionnaires for locals ....................................................................................... 38
Appendix 3: Questionnaires for Tourists .................................................................................. 40
Appendix 4: Interview with Industry Professional .................................................................. 42
Transcript of Interview .................................................................................................................... 42
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................... 46

1|Page
 Introduction

Fort St Angelo is one of the main forts on the island of Malta. Its history spans from
Medieval times and its architect is still unknown to the present day. Fort St Angelo was
the bulwark for the Castrum Maris Defence System of Birgu which was the only
protection that the people of the South of the Island had before the arrival of the
Knights in 1530.

Upon their arrival, the Order of the Knights of St John, immediately recognized its
value. In fact, they opted to establish their Capital city and headquarters in Birgu rather
than Mdina for this reason. Fort St Angelo was restored and modernised in order to
be able to keep up with the Turkish invading force of 1565. The importance of Fort St
Angelo led to the victory of the Great Siege and the presentation of the title of Citta’
Vittoriosa to Birgu.

The aim of this project is to investigate the role of Fort St Angelo within the overall
defence system of Malta as well as discuss its layout and strengths. I will also delve
into its later development under the British administration as well as its recent
restoration and modern-day use.

The front and back covers of a pamphlet given at the reception of Fort St. Angelo
- Author’s own
2|Page
 Chapter 1:
The Coastal Defence system under the
Order of St. John

Why?
Malta being an island needs a strong coastal defence network. Necessity led the Order
of St John to invest in such military infrastructure over the years. The Grand Harbour
and Marsamxett Harbour area were mostly fortified in the years preceding 1565.
These provided security to the increasing population from pirate raids and invasion.

The Different Types

There are several types of coastal defences put into place by the Order of St. John.
These are:

• Coastal Forts
• Coastal towers
• Batteries
• Redoubts
• Fougasse
• Entrenchments
Fort St. Angelo
– Google images
Coastal Forts
These forts would namely be built to protect
key strategic areas or to protect a port. They
would also house a sizeable garrison and a
storage. Examples include:

• Fort St. Angelo

• Fort St. Elmo

Fort St. Elmo

- Google images

3|Page
Forts St Angelo protects Birgu and the Grand Harbour while Fort St. Elmo protects
both the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour.

Coastal Towers1
These towers served as watchtowers and were built all around the island. If one
watchtower saw an enemy fleet approaching, they would light a fire in their tower, the
next towers would see the fire and do the same and so on until all towers were lit
alerting the people that a raid or invasion was upon them. It was a rather efficient form
of alert for the time.

A map of Malta
with the locations
of the different
towers colour-
coded according to
who built them
- Google images

Batteries
A coastal battery is a sizeable gun platform ringed with a parapet and fitted with
embrasures. Most batteries were also fitted with a redan2 Examples of such batteries
include:

• St anthony’s battery (Qala)

• St Mary’s battery (Comino)

1
The first Grandmaster to start working on these coastal towers was Grandmaster Wignacourt,
building a total of 6 towers. After him Grandmaster Lascaris built 9 more towers. Grandmaster De
Redin was the Grandmaster who took most seriously the building of these towers and creating a link
of communication between Malta and Gozo. He built 13 towers in 1658 even though 14 were
planned.

2
A v-shaped wall with musket loopholes.

4|Page
 St. Anthony’s Battery (Qala) St. Mary’s Battery (Comino)
- Google images -Google images

Redoubts3
They were positioned in the middle of the bay and the aim was to stop the enemy from
establishing a beachhead and from outflanking the batteries. All redoubts were built
between 1715-1716.

St. George’s Redoubt Vendome Redoubt

– Google images - Google images

Fougasse4
This is a hole dug into the rock at a slant facing the sea. Examples include :
• Madliena fougasse
• The fougasse on the coast road

3
They took three main forms: Pentagonal, Semi-Circular and Tower form.
4
At the bottom of the hole a fuse and several explosives would be placed then filled with stones which
would fly out launching an attack on the approaching enemy ships.

5|Page
 Madliena Fougasse Fougasse on the Coast Road
- Google images - Google images

Entrenchment
These are basically defensive walls consisting of trenches.

6|Page
 Chapter 2:
A Dive into the History of Fort St. Angelo
under the Knights

Brief overview of the Order

The arrival of the Knights of St John in Malta was a
tumultuous one. After they had been expelled by the
Ottoman Turks from the island of Rhodes, they were
sea vagrants for a number of years, until they were Flag of the Order
– Google images
granted Malta and Tripoli.

When the Knights arrived, they believe that Malta would

only be a temporary home for them and in fact did not
want to invest a lot of money in building projects. Even
though between 1530 and 1565 we have the
construction of Fort St Elmo and Fort St Michael and the
strengthening of Fort St Angelo and other defence
systems; this was done due to the threat of the Turks
The 8 pointed cross – a
only and not sparked by their own initiative. symbol of the Order –
represents the 8 virtues
- Google images
Fort St Angelo before the Knights.
It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the Castrum Maris or
Castello al Mare (Castle by the Sea). We do not know when it was first built but it was
mentioned for the first time as a fortification in 1241. However, several clues indicate
that it is much older than this. It seems also that by 1274, the castle already had two
chapels which are still there today. From the same year there exists also a detailed
inventory of weapons and supplies in the castle.

From 1283 the Maltese islands were under Aragonese rule (although the castle
withstood for some time in Angevin rule while the rest of Malta was already in
Aragonese hands) and the fortification was mainly used by Castellani (like the de Nava
family) who were there to safeguard the interests of the Aragonese crown. In fact, the

7|Page
Castellans did not have any jurisdiction outside the ditch of the fort. By 1445 a Mariam
confraternity, one of the eldest in Maltese history, had its convent located at the site.

It was the only fortification in the Grand harbour and

all the South of Malta for that matter. It was to guard
the town of Birgu which developed as a result of it. At
the end of the medieval period in Malta the Castrum
Maris was in ruin and neglect and would not be
reliable to defend in case of attack. It was then for the
most part abandoned and left in ruins.
Detail from the fresco of the
Great Siege by Matteo Perez
d’Aleccio of Fort St Angelo
Did the Knights upgrade it after 1565? – Fort St. Angelo Heritage
In 1644, Giovanni de’ Medici proposed that a new fort Experience ERDF245

was to be constructed on Orsi Point and that the name and garrison of Fort St. Angelo
were to be transferred to the new fort. He drew up plans for the proposed fort, but they
were never implemented.

It was only in the 1690s that the fort again underwent major repairs. Today's layout of
the fort is attributed to these works which were designed by Carlos de Grunenbergh5,
who paid for the construction of four gun batteries on the side of the fort facing the
entrance to Grand Harbour.. The fort eventually became very powerful including some
80 guns, 48 of which pointed towards the entrance of the port.

5
One can see his coat of arms above the main gate of the fort

8|Page
 Chapter 3:
Delving Deeper into Fort St. Angelo and its
role after the Knights

The French Period

Not much is known about St Angelo at this time
but there are several clues that show that St
Angelo was the Headquarters of the French
Garrison in Malta.

The British Period

With the coming of the British to Malta the fort Aerial view of Fort St Angelo and part of
retained its importance as a military fort. In fact, in Birgu 1960s
– Fort St. Angelo Heritage Experience
1800, two battalions of the 35th Regiment were
ERDF245
stationed in the fort. However, at the start of the
20th century, the fort was taken over by the Navy and it was commissioned as a stone
Black + white
frigate, in 1912 as HMS Egmont and in 1933 renamed as HMS St Angelo. It hence
became a base for the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean.

The British did not make any major modifications to the fort, apart from renovating
several batteries to be able to house nine-inch RML guns in the 1860s and the building
of a cinema and water distillation plant in the early 20th century.

During World War II, the fort again stood for siege with an armament of 3 Bofors guns,
manned by the Royal Marines and later by the Royal Malta Artillery. The fort suffered
heavy bombardments during the war which left it devasted and in ruin

How long was it used as a military fort?

It retained this role mainly up until 1898 as it was used also after the British came to
Malta. In 1898 all military artillery was dismantled however it was obsolete in 1894
after the construction of the 100 – tonne gun. Its practical use was suspended in 1906
when it was transferred to the Royal Navy.

9|Page
After Independence
When the Royal Navy left Malta on the 31st March 1979 the Fort was handed over to
the Maltese government and since then the fort had fallen into a state of disrepair and
abandonment mostly after a project to transform it into a hotel had been abandoned.

On 5 December 1998, a treaty was signed

between Malta and the Sovereign Military
Order of Malta granting the upper part of Fort
St Angelo (the Grand Master's House and the
Chapel of St Anne) to the Order.

This treaty was strengthened on 1 November

2001. The agreement has a duration of 99
years but the Maltese Government may
terminate it at any time after 50 years. In terms
of the agreement, both the flag of Malta and
the flag of the Order are to be flown together
both in a prominent position over St Angelo.
No asylum may be granted by the Order and
the Maltese court has full jurisdiction and
The Main Gate before Renovation
Maltese law shall apply. - Author’s own

Present day
On 5 March 2012, it was confirmed that the European Regional Development Fund
allocated €13.4 million for the restoration, conservation and re-use of the site, allowing
for the Fort to be opened as a tourist attraction. This is so that its history and important
role in our culture can be extended to both the locals and tourists. It also caters for
educational programmes such as scouts, hosts cultural event and also live historical
experiences. Fort St Angelo falls under the care of Heritage Malta who managed the
restoration works which were completed in September 2015.It frequently hosts events
of national importance including the CHOGM 2015 meeting and the 2017 Maltese EU
presidency.

10 | P a g e
 Main gate after restoration The Gate leading to the Knight’s residence
– Author’s own - Authors’ own

The Architecture
It features 2 different architectural styles. The backbone is a medieval style have
several concentring circles built on top of each other forming several enclaves. Then
when the knights came over, they reconfigured the fort bit by bit starting from the 1530
and ending in 1691 converting it into a bastioned fort. If one observes this fort’s
architecture and compares it with others built from scratch by the Knights, they will
notice several differences as the Knights built on and strengthened what was already
there being the Castellan’s house, a chapel and several walls which were built in the
medieval style. In simple terms they simply built on top of what was already there.

Just outside the Officers’ Wardroom

– Author’s own

11 | P a g e
 A site plan of the Fort
- Taken from the Fort’s reception

Future plans
Not many details are available both online and from the interview as employees are
not allowed to talk about them. The only information I was given was that in the near
future we should see an increase in what is on offer at the fortification.

12 | P a g e
 Chapter 4:
Analysis of Interview and Questionnaires

As part of this project, I embarked on an investigation for Fort St Angelo. This included
multiple site visits, an interview with the Site Curator, a questionnaire with the locals
of Birgu as well as a questionnaire with tourists and visitors of the Fort.

Methodology
The aim of the visits to Fort St Angelo was for me to better grasp and understand the
magnificence of this military structure. Looking up and exploring its bastions, ramparts
and rooms, helped me to get a better picture of the use of this fort throughout the
years. I was also able to take original photos of the fort which I used in this project.

During my site visit I also interviewed Mr. Matthew Balzan who is the main site curator
of Fort St Angelo. He has a BA of Arts Degree in History and Archaeology and a
Masters of Arts in Hospitallers Studies. He has been working in the Cultural Heritage
sector for over a decade however he has been employed with Heritage Malta and
been in charge of all Forts taken care by this organization including Fort St Angelo
since 2011. He was also responsible of the overseeing of the restoration works done
recently, he helped with the creation of the rehabilitation of the Fort and is also
currently working on new projects that would make the Fort more accessible and
attractive to visitors both local and foreign.

From this interview, I learnt about the architecture of Fort St. Angelo, how long its use
spanned and the number of visitors the Fort gets, among other things.

In Appendix 4 there is the list of questions posed to Mr. Balzan together with a
Transcript.

As part of the case study about Fort St Angelo, I also created a questionnaire for locals
(Appendix 2) and a questionnaire for the tourists and visitors (Appendix 3).

The questionnaire for the locals was written in Maltese and had a total of 10 questions.
These questions were generally aimed at investigating the perception of the people of

13 | P a g e
Birgu on Fort St Angelo as well as how they remembered and used the fort prior to
restoration. Other questions dealt with the impact of Fort St Angelo on Birgu. Each
questionnaire was filled by hand either by the locals themselves or myself since some
did not want to write. A more detailed analysis of the questions will follow. A few
completed questionnaires are attached in Appendix 2.

The questionnaire of the Tourists and Foreigners was carried out on multiple days
since August is not a peak season for visitors and thus it was not easy to find enough
people to question. A total of 30 individuals were questioned even though some were
in couples or groups and answered only once. The questions were posed to visitors
after they visited the Fort. These individuals were asked about their general
experience at the Fort and how they got to know about it. A more in-depth analysis will
follow. A few completed questionnaires are attached in Appendix 3.

Analysis of Questionnaires filled by the Locals.

In this part I will be discussing the results from the questionnaires of the Locals. For
some questions I presented the results in the form of a chart whilst in others I
discussed the common answers presented. A few completed questionnaires can be
reviewed in Appendix 2.

Gender:

Gender

47%
Male Female
53%

14 | P a g e
This shows that more males were willing to talk about Birgu and the Fort6
Age:

Age

13%
27%

16-20 21-40

30% 41-60 Over 60

30%

This shows that the majority of people willing to speak were between 21 and 60 years
old.7

6
Nonetheless, it is also a matter of coincidence that when I was doing the questionnaire, I encountered
more males than females.

7
Nonetheless it is also a matter of coincidence that I encountered a majority of people between 21 and
60 than other ages.

15 | P a g e
Question 1:

Time living in Birgu

20%
Less than 10 years
Between 10 and 20 years
13% Over 20 years
54%
All their life
13%

Not all residents have been living in Birgu all their life. It was interesting to see how
different generations had different things to say about Birgu.

This chart shows that the majority of the population of Birgu have been living there all
their life with a host of new residents living there for less than 10 years

Question 2:

The most common answers were:

The Atmosphere and People – 14/30 respondents (7 male and 7 female)

The History and Culture – 13/30 respondents (7 male and 6 female)

The Feast – 4/30 respondents (2 male and 2 female)

The sea and the view – 4/30 respondents (2 male and 2 female)

People also commented about the train that gives tours around the 3 Cities, the
cleanliness, the town can still be seen in its original light, the architecture and buildings
and the local Każini.

16 | P a g e
Question 3 and 3a:

Did the people know about the prescence of Fort St Angelo?

0%

Yes No

100%

Have the people visited the Fort after restoration

17%

Yes No

83%

All the respondents were aware of the existence of Fort St Angelo albeit not all
respondents had visited it after its restoration.

17 | P a g e
Question 4:

Do the locals rememner how the Fort was before its

restoration?

43%
Yes No
57%

It was quite close but most of the people do in fact remember how the fort looked
before restoration.8

Question 5:

How long did the restoration works take

13% Did not know

1 year
37%
17% 2 years
2-3 years
3 years
7%
Over 3 Years
23% 3%

Most of the respondents had an idea but they varied in their answers.

An interesting comment was that the restoration works are still going on and will not
stop as there are things that will always need some repair here and there.

8
These all being of varying sexes and ages.

18 | P a g e
Question 6:

Did the restoration works disturb the locals?

30%

Yes No

70%

People commented that they appreciated the works and since there is a sizeable
distance from the fort to the residents the works were not of a nuisance. Others
commented that the works were inefficient, lengthy, lacked the use of modern
technology, some roads were closed to facilitate the works and poorly planned.

Question 7 and 7a:

Was there an increase of visitors to Birgu

7%

Yes No

93%

19 | P a g e
For question 7a not all respondents answered. The most common answers are:

It helps promote and share the Maltese culture around the world and makes the
Maltese themselves more conscious about their culture

- 6/30 respondents (3 male and 3 female)

There is an increase in tourists so there is an increase in work and cash flow in Birgu
and also an increase in activities

- 5/30 respondents (2 male and 3 female)

They helped to cause a rise in the standard of living

- 3/30 respondents (2 male and 1 female)

Other answers include:

Cross fertilisation, investment by both the local council and external investors and
more life in the village.

2 females answered no to 7a with their reasons being that the tourists only bring noise
and dirty the society and that although there was a rise in prices there was not a rise
in the amount of pay.

1 female said that the people who visit Fort St Angelo are not really connected to any
change in Birgu as the visitors of Fort St Angelo don’t always stop and visit Birgu.

2 men responded by saying that it depends on the character of the tourists and where
they are from as if their character is not a good one and their behaviour is not up to
standard, they will not only annoy the residents and other people but also lowers the
level of the society.

1 woman commented that although her answer to 7a was yes there is a downside as
the overall prices have gone up.

Question 8
2 Females chose to opt out of this question and left it out

The most common answers were:

I don’t know – 10/30 respondents (8 male and 2 female)

20 | P a g e
It was abandoned and no one used it – 4/30 respondents (2 male and 2 female)

Parties, Drinking and Drugs – 4/30 respondents (2 male and 2 female)

Playing, watching the Regatta, swimming, the view and overall innocent fun – 8/30
respondents (3 male and 5 female)

Question 9
All the respondents like the restoration works with the exeption of two people.

Question 10

Does Fort St Angelo contribute to the rise in work and cash

flow in Birgu?

13%

Yes No

87%

The most common reasons are:

The increase in tourists and people visiting the village will result in more people eating
at the restaurants and buying from the shops – 19/30 respondents (11 males and 8
females)

The negative responses included:

There was no change as Fort St Angelo is too cut off from the village and it helped in
this aspect in a very limited way.

21 | P a g e
Analysis of Questionnaires filled by tourists
In this part I will be discussing the results from the questionnaires of the Tourists. For
some questions I presented the results in the form of a chart whilst in others I
discussed the common answers presented. The filled-up questionnaires can be
reviewed in Appendix 3.

Gender:

Gender

47%
Male Female
53%

This shows that more males were willing to talk about their experience in the Fort. 9

9
Nonetheless, it is also a matter of coincidence that when I was doing the questionnaire, I encountered more
males than females

22 | P a g e
Age:

Age

10% 7%

16-20
21-40
40% 41-60
43% Over 60

This shows that the majority of people encountered were aged between 21 and 60
years old.10

Question 1:
All the visitors encountered were coming from Europe with the exception of those who
came from Australia. The 3 most common countries of origin were:

Great Britain – 7/30 respondents (5 male and 2 female)

Australia – 5/30 respondents (1 male and 4 female)

Belgium – 4/30 respondents (2 male and 2 female)

Other countries include Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Greece, Germany, Portugal and
Malta.

10
Nonetheless it is also a matter of coincidence that I encountered a majority of people between 21 and 60 than
other ages.

23 | P a g e
Question 2:

The resaon for coming to Malta

Beaches, sun and nightlife

3% 9% 8%
2% Fsmily Holiday

To learn about the culture and

12% experience it
28%
To learn about the island's
history
To experience the island's
natural landscape
20% Due to business matters
18%
As part of a learning programme

Question 3:

Were they aware of the Island's history

10%

yes No

90%

This shows how many tourists are to some degree aware of the extensive history of
our Islands and could be a hint to good sources which communicate our history to
these tourists.

24 | P a g e
Question 4:

Were they aware of the Fort's History

3%

30%

Yes No Unsure

67%

It must be noted that this survey was conducted after the respondent had visited and
toured around the Fort, hence why, when respondents wrote that before they were not
aware and after their visit, they were aware they were classified in the ‘yes’ section of
the graph. This also applies to the previous question.

Question 5:

Not all answers were copy and paste of each other and hence the reasons given here
are a grouping of similar answers. The 3 most common answers were:

They wanted to learn about its history – 10/30 respondents (6 men and 3 women)

They were interested in visiting a landmark – 8/30 respondents (5 men and 3 women)

It is an integral part of Maltese history – 7/30 respondents (2 men and 5 women)

Other answers include: jijijijijijijijiji jijijiji ijijijiji jijijiji jijijijiji jijijijij ij ffngjsdfngsdjfngid
The views, acting as a tour-guide for friends and it was just near the ferry.

Two respondents said the following: jnnnijnijni bibibiubiubi bibibiubiubiu biubiubbbu

“[Not visiting Fort St Angelo is] Like going to Rome and not visiting the Pope” ijijijijijijij
“My family was in the navy and I was interested to see were they worked”

25 | P a g e
Question 6:

The respondents mentioned many different sources and points of reference. The 3
most common answers were:

The internet – 6/30 respondents (all men)

Tourist Guide books – 11/30 respondents (2 men and 9 women)

Friends and Family – 7/30 respondents (3 men and 4 women)

Other answer include: uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu uuuuuuu

They saw it while in the car, adverts and local news.

Question 7:
Although the information in the fort is based on the discoveries made some
respondents were left wanting more.

Is there adequete information in the Fort?

3%

7%

Yes No In between

90%

Most of the visitors were satisfied with the amount of information in the fort while others
were left expecting more. Their wishes were recorded in the next question. One
respondent commented that the videos and the writing were only done in English.

26 | P a g e
Question 8:
19/ 30 respondents did not answer the question (10 men and 9 women).11 Out of those
that did these were the answers were:

They wanted more of its origin and modern history as they felt that there is only the in
between years – 3/30 respondents (2 men and 1 women)

They wanted a larger diversity of languages as some of the respondents had to simply
look at the pictures and could not understand the videos and writing ljjljljlljjljljljljljljljljljljo
– 3/30 respondents (1 man and 2 women)

They wanted a better structure to the visit as it was easy for them to get lost and miss
some stuff along the way – 2/30 respondents (1 man and 1 woman)

They also wanted to visit the Chapel of St Anne and the Knight’s Quarters.
Understanding that it is his residence but they were disappointed tht it is closed most
of the time and very few people can actually go inside the Knight’s Quarters ihhihiiiihi
– 2/30 respondents (1 man and 1 women)

Question 9:

Are the restoration works tourist friendly?

Yes No

100%

11
Not all the respondents answered this question which could be for various reasons such as not having the
time to dwell on the question or simply not having any suggestions for improvement.

27 | P a g e
All the respondents were satisfied with the restoration works. Some of them still had
some ideas for improvement12

3 people (1 man and 2 women) wanted more guides, directions and an overall better
flow to the visit as at some points they were left wondering what to do next. One of
them even said that had it not been for the security guard at the door they would not
have known that they ad to go to the reception and would have just wandered around.

3 people (1 man and 2 women) wanted more facilities which cater to disabled people
and for them to be more prominently offered.

The other suggestions regarded a lack of details in some areas, finding a way to make
the steps less slippery, more greenery and more shady areas.

Question 10

Points Given to Accessibility

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Male Female

Points Given to Navigation

8

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Male Female

12
Only 9 of the respondents chose to answer this question

28 | P a g e
General note regarding the questionnaires
Unfortunately, not everyone responded to all the questions. This was due to various
things such as:

• The respondent’s inability to understand the question

• Their lack of interest in responding such question
• Lack of time to dwell on replying certain questions.

Another issue that I encountered was that certain individuals were merging answers
into one, thus it was a bit difficult to extract exact raw data. Some individuals painted
a positive view of Birgu and Fort St Angelo whilst others were negative or indifferent.

A site plan of Fort St. Angelo

A site plan of Fort St Angelo

This is a digitalized plan of the fort’s layout. It was taken when I visited the fort and can
be found in the Fort’s reception area.

29 | P a g e
 Conclusion
During this project I have learnt various things not only about Fort St Angelo and its
role as part of the Knight’s Fortifications system, but also various skills such as drafting
a questionnaire, talking to unknown people and conducting an interview.

The most interesting thing I learnt about Fort St Angelo and its development through
history was that even though Fort St Angelo was at the centre of many conflicts small
or large such as the Great Siege and the heavy bombardment in World War 2 the Fort
never crumbled and withstood the attackers it reflects the indomitable spirit of the
Maltese who fight cannot be broken.

I believe that in the future Fort St Angelo can add a larger diversity of languages to the
videos and writing by offering translations with the audio guides and not simply putting
only explanations in the audio guide. The use of only English in the majority of the Fort
puts up a barrier for non-English speaking visitors. By losing these visitors due to a
lack of their language will cause the Fort to lose money as less visitors will be coming.

In conclusion, Fort St Angelo is a testament to our rich History and Culture. It has
endured many episodes of warfare on the island including Medieval raids, the Great
Siege, World War II and even redevelopment carried out in the modern times post-
independence. Its survival throughout the years shows how much the people of Mata
take care of it and value it. It is a pity that years of neglect between one ruler and
another and post-independence have led to the desecration of this site and the loss of
precious items that are now in private collections and can’t be enjoyed by the public. I
hope that more is uncovered about the origins of Fort St Angelo, hoping that the
mystery of its architect is unveiled.

30 | P a g e
 The 8 pointed cross – a symbol of the
Order – represents the 8 virtues
- Google images

Flag of the Order

– Google images
Appendix 1:
Delving into The Order of St. John
Who Were They?
The Order of St. John was an Order of Hospitallers. They offered medical help both to
Christian and foreign pilgrims. They also offered their services and guidance to
pilgrims in the Holy Land. They were also Corsairs (legal pirates).

How Did They Come?

The Order’s original home was the island of
Rhodes, situated just under Turkey. In 1523 the
Ottoman Empire attacked Rhodes in the hope of
capturing the island to secure their trade routes with
Venice. After some heroic fighting by the knights of
the Order. Suleyman let them leave Rhodes with full
military honours.

The Grandmaster at the time was L’Isle Adam. He

pleaded to the Pope for a new home and inquired
about their future. In 1524 Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V offered Malta and Tripoli to the Order. The Island of Rhodes
- Google images
Before arriving in Malta, the Order Sent a
Commission to Malta made up of 3 knights in 1524. The Commission’s report stated
that Malta’s defence’s and fortifications were old and in need of severe repair, the
population was too big for the island’s small size and it would be very expensive for
the Order to build Malta up as a strong base just like Rhodes was. That’s why for many
knights the recapture of Rhodes was the best solution, hence for several years the
Oder travelled across Europe collecting money and soldiers for the attack. This plan

31 | P a g e
was abandoned after some years as the Grandmaster knew that if they did not acquire
a new base quickly the Order was sure to be disbanded. In October 1530 the
Grandmaster and most of the Knights arrived and set up base in the Castrum Maris in
Birgu.

The Terms of Acquiring Malta

Malta was not given to the Order for free and the Holy Roman Emperor gave up the
Islands on the following conditions:

• The Order had to give an annual fee of one falcon to the Viceroy of Sicily
• The Emperor had the right to choose the Bishop for Malta from 3 candidates
put forward by the Order.
• If the Order left the Islands, the latter had to be handed back to Charles’
successors.
• The Order had to remain neutral in case of war between the Emperor and any
other Christian nation.

Birgu vs. Mdina

When the Knights arrived in Malta,
they found two distinct classes. The
first were the artisans, The coat of arms of
merchants and sailors who Birgu
- Google images
resided in Birgu. They were
mainly poor people, illiterate and worked all their lives. Aerial view of Birgu
- Google images
They quickly grasped the advantages of having the
Order in Malta and welcomed them into their town. These advantages were:

• Commerce, trade and ship-repair provided the people of Birgu with more work
opportunities and also with more profits to be made.
• The Order were able to protect them from Muslim pirate raids

32 | P a g e
The other class was that of the nobles and professionals who
resided in Mdina. They were rich and literate. They did not like the
fact that the Order Came to Malta as they saw them as a threat to
their power and influence over the peasants. There are several
reasons as to why the Maltese Nobles had a negative attitude
towards the Order which are:
The coat of
• The Knights would have similar privileges.
arms of Mdina
• The power of the Consiglio Popolare and the Università will – Google images
slowely be removed.
• The Knights were ignoring promises made
to the Maltese Nobles by the Emperor
Charles V regarding their power and rights.
• The Knights did not allow the Maltese
Nobles to socialize with them.
• Maltese Nobles were not allowed to become Aerial view of Mdina
knights. - Google images

The Order of St. John ultimately chose Birgu as their base. This is because:

• It was close to the sea and so they could easily watch over and protect their
fleet.
• Birgu was far away from Mdina.

As the Order’s first course of action they decided to strengthen the Castrum Maris
(Castello a Mare) and so built Fort St. Angelo as the base for the Grandmaster.

Early Projects undertaken by the Order

At first the Order did not plan on spending too much time in Malta so in turn did not
want to invest too heavily into the Island. In Birgu they built auberges (inns) for the
different langues of the Order and also an infirmary and started to strengthen the
defences of the Grand Harbour. There were also plans to build a star shaped fort on
the tip of Mount Sciberras but the Order did not have enough money at the time.

33 | P a g e
In 1534 Grandmaster L’Isle Adam died and the next Grandmaster was Juan
D’Homedes. In 1541 the Order brought the engineer Antonio Ferramolino to dig a ditch
between St. Angelo and Birgu. The objective of this ditch was to further protect the
Fort in the case that Birgu would be taken by invaders.

The Crisis of 1551

In July 1551, a Turkish fleet led by the Turkish Corsair Dragut anchored at Marsamxett
harbour and a force of about 10,000 disembarked. They found Birgu and the
surrounding area too heavily fortified and so turned their attention to Mdina burning
and looting the countryside on the way. Fra Villeganion was the Knight in charge of
Mdina, he advised the Maltese in the surrounding area to take refuge in the fortified
town and man the walls. The Turks were deceived and thought that the garrison of
Mdina was large and plentiful and did not want to risk a lengthy siege. A small Christian
fleet appeared and attacked the Moslem galleys. The Turks lifted the siege and turned
to Gozo. They laid siege to the Citadel of Gozo which surrendered in a few days. All
the Gozitans were taken captive and Gozo was left deserted. It would remain that way
for around 150 years.

At around the same time the Order also lost the Fortress in Tripoli

A New Strategic Plan After 1551

A commission was set up made up of engineers Pietro Pardo and Leone Strozzi. Their
proposals were:

• The building of a new fortified town on Mount Sciberras and to move the Order’s
Headquarters there.
• The building of Fort St. Elmo – a star shaped fort on the tip of Mount Sciberras
(started in 1552)
• The building of Fort St. Michael in Senglea (started in 1552)
• The town of Senglea was to be fortified (Undertaken under Grandmaster De La
Sengle – Namesake of the town)

34 | P a g e
Important Projects undertaken by the Order after the Great
Siege
The Order during their stay undertook a multitude of projects here in Malta. These
projects mainly started after the Great Siege of 1565. They built different types of
buildings which can be grouped in to categories: military and civic. Examples of,
military projects include coastal towers, fortifications and batteries. Examples of civic
projects include the Aqueduct, theatres and
restoration works. 3 of the most important projects
that the Order undertook are:

a) The building of Valletta

b) The Aqueduct
c) The restoration of Mdina
Panoramic view of Valletta
- Google images

a) The building of Valletta

Valletta is a fortified city built on the Sciberras Peninsula. The
building of Valletta was an urgent one due to warnings of
another Turkish attack stronger than the last. The building of
Valletta was a financial straining one with various sources of
help including the Pope paying the wages of the Italian soldiers
in Malta, the Holy Roman Emperor sending 20, 000 scudi worth
of food and building materials and the financial aid that came The coat of
arms of
from various European kings to name a few. The stone used for
Valletta
the building of Valletta was cut from the Manderaggio until 1572 - Google
images
when lower-coralline rock was encountered and quarrying had
to stop and that is when most of the poor people set up home
there with very bad living conditions.

Valletta was designed by a man named Laparelli who is to credit for the straight
grid-like roads which can be found in Valletta. The main buildings, though, are not
Laparelli’ s creation but rather of a Maltese architect Ġlormu Cassar who designed
them in a Baroque style. His works include St. John’s Co-Cathedral and the
Grandmaster’s Palace among others.

35 | P a g e
b) The Aqueduct
An aqueduct is an artificial channel that is
constructed to transport water from one
location to another. One of the main reasons
for the building of the aqueduct was that after
building Valletta the Order was afraid of an
impending Turkish threat and from the
experience gained from the Great Siege, they
knew how hot and dry the summer months are. The restored Aqueduct
- Google images
In fact, in the building regulations of Valletta all
the buildings had to have a well to store rain water. The aqueduct was originally
started in 1610 under Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt who appointed Natale
Mesuccio to take care of the project. Mesuccio redirected the fresh water from
Dingli and Rabat towards Valletta through underground canals.

At Attard the natural ground level decreased

drastically and the water started falling with such
force that it broke the canals and so the project
was abandoned. The Grandmaster then brought
over Bontadino Bontadini who drafted new
plans and supervised the building of the new
The Fleur De Lys Gate with the
aqueduct. To direct the water from Attard to Aqueduct behind it
Valletta specially built arches were erected. At - Google images

Santa Venera the water crossed the road over

the Fleur De Lys Gate. The building of the aqueduct was entirely financed by
Grandmaster Wignacourt.

36 | P a g e
c) The restoration of Mdina
The 1663 earthquake which hit Southern Italy,
Sicily and Malta led to many deaths and a lot of
devastation in these three countries. One of the
heavily affected areas was Mdina where many
buildings were destroyed. One such building
was the Norman Cathedral which stood instead
of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the latter being built to St. Paul’s Cathedral
replace the former after it was destroyed. - Author’s own

However nearly all of the artefacts found in the Norman Cathedral survived the
earthquake.

The Grandmaster responsible for the extensive repairs made to Mdina was
Grandmaster De Vilhena. He hired the French engineer Charles Francois de
Mondion to oversee the restoration works. He is to be credited for most of the
Mdina we see today. Two of his greatest works include the Main Gate, baring the
coat of arms of Vilhena and the Magisterial Palace which was renamed to Vilhena’s
Palace. All the buildings and structures were built on the French Baroque style.

37 | P a g e
 Appendix 2 :
Questionnaires for locals
Żmien: ______________ Sess: _______________

1. Kemm ilek tghix hawn?

________________________________________________________________

2. X’jogħġbok l-aktar f’dan il-post?

________________________________________________________________

3. Taf li fir-raħal tiegħek hawn din il-fortizza?

Iva
Le

a) Jekk iva, qatt żortha?

Iva
Le

4. Tiftakar kif kienet qabel ma ġiet irrestawratha?

Iva
Le

5. Kemm tahseb li dam ix-xogħol ta’ restawr?

________________________________________________________________

6. Fl-opinjoni tiegħek, taħseb li x-xogħol ta’ restawr iddisturbaw in-nies tal-lokal?

Iva
Le

38 | P a g e
7. Mal-ftuħ ta’ Fort Sant’Anġlu għall-pubbliku, taħseb li kien hemm żieda fin-nies
li żaru l-lokal?

Iva
Le

a) Jekk iva, taħseb li dawn jgħinu sabiex ikabbru l-livell ta’ din is-soċjetà u
kif?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

8. Għalxiex kienet tintuża din il-fortifikazzjoni minnkom, qabel ma ġiet

irrestawrata?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

9. Jogħġbok kif sar ir-restawr ta’ din il-fortifikazzjoni?

Iva
Le

10. Taħseb li r-restawr ta’ Forti Sant’Anġlu għen sabiex jogħla l-livell tan-negozzju
f’dan il-lokal?

Iva
Le

Għaliex?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Rispons u kummenti:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

39 | P a g e
 Appendix 3:
Questionnaires for Tourists
Age: ___________ Gender: _____________

1. Where are you from?

2. Why did you choose to come to Malta?

• Beaches, sun and nightlife

• Family Holiday
• To learn about the culture and experience it
• To learn about the island’s history
• To experience the Island’s natural landscape
• Due to Business matters
• As part of a learning programme (e.g. Erasmus)
• Other: (Specify)
__________________________________________

3. In your opinion do you think that you are aware of the Islands’ history?

Yes
No

4. In your opinion do you think that you are aware of the history regarding Fort St.
Angelo in particular?

Yes
No

5. Why have you decided to visit Fort St. Angelo?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

6. From where did you hear about this fortification?

________________________________________________________________

40 | P a g e
7. Inside the Fort St. Angelo do you think there is adequate information about its
history?

Yes
No

8. What are your suggestions at improving this fortification?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

9. Regarding the restoration works carried out for this fortification, in your opinion
are they tourist friendly?

Yes
No
Any suggestions for improvement?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

10. On a scale from 1-10 (1 being the easiest and 10 being the hardest) how hard
was it to access and navigate this fortification.

Access: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Navigate: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Feedback and comments:

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

41 | P a g e
 Appendix 4:
Interview with Industry Professional
Transcript of Interview

Q: What is your role?

A: My role within Heritage Malta is Principle Curator of Fortifications.

Q: What are your qualifications?

I have a Bachelors of Arts Degree in History and Archaeology and a masters of Arts
in Hospitallers Studies

Q: How long have you been working in this sector?

A: I have been working in the Cultural Heritage sector since 2007 but have been
employed with Heritage Malta and been in charge of first of Fort St Angelo and then
of all fortifications falling under Heritage Malta since 2011.

Q: Was Fort St. Angelo a singular plan or was its part of a larger
defence network of towers and forts?
A: For a long period of time it was the only fortification to be found within the Grand
Harbour, in fact you can safely state that until 1552, that is the construction of Fort St
Michael and Fort St Elmo, St Angelo was the only fortification in the Grand Harbour.
However, we don’t know exactly when it was first built but it was mentioned as a
fortification in 1241. There are several clues which show that it is definitely much
older than that but we don’t know by how much. So, I can roughly estimate that it has
been here for 500 years before the construction of Fort St Michael and Fort St Elmo.
It was then subsequently adapted along the years and because of the construction of
new fortifications by the Order of St John from the 1550s until the 1790s it came to
form part of a complex system of fortifications guarding the 3 Cities, The Grand
Harbour and Valletta.

Q: In what architectural style was this fortification built?

A: Well…it features…practically 2 different architectural styles. First of all, there is
the backbone which is a Medieval style having several concentring circles built on
top of each other. So, you have several enclaves. It’s like a wedding cake, that’s the

42 | P a g e
principle of medieval fortifications. Then when the Knight’s came over, they
reconfigured the Fort bit by bit starting from the 1530s and ending in 1691, roughly,
to convert it into a bastioned fort. However, if you see it from the air and compare it
with other bastioned forts from scratch in the shape of the Bastion system, you will
notice several differences, here there were a lot of make and mends. So, the Knights
had to adapt with what they found and did not have the advantage of a new ground
to build how they like and according to the actual style of the Bastion System.

Q: What was it used for after it was built?

It was always a fortification; however, it did have non-military roles but in military
roles, at first until 1691 it was chiefly the Citadel of Vittoriosa. In fact, that why it is
known as the Borgo Del Castello, the suburb of the castle.
Before the knights it was used for the same reason. Birgu has been here before the
Knights came to Malta. In fact, Birgu developed because of St Angelo. So, at first it
was built, we assume, to control access also with the Grand Harbour because it has
been used for more than a thousand years. When the Knights of St John then came
over, they retained this use, so it was a land-based fortification guarding the land and
the approaches overland but from 1691 onwards with the completion of
Grunenbergh’ s batteries it came to be the chief guardian of the Grand Harbour. So,
it had it 4 main batteries looking over the main entrance to the Grand Harbour to
defend it against any enemy incursions.

Q: For about how long was it used for?

A: Roughly until 1898. In 1898, because what the Knights did the British continued to
use with their own adaptations. In 1898 all military was dismantled, however despite
that it had been obsolete since 1884, that is with the 100-tonne guns at Fort
Cambridge and Fort Rinella. That practically put Fort St Angelo to way back in the
front-line of coastal fortifications.

Q: The fortification as we know it today was built by the Order of St

John but was it improved / updated by the French or British during
their stay?
A: Well… the fort is actually Medieval so the Knights di not start the construction.
From what you see from the outside is mainly the Knights’ work but if you look from
the inside there are still a lot of medieval features. Even the overall shape, as I have
said, the look from Valletta although the bastions are from the time of the Knights,
the pyramid sort-of shape, having a level on top of the other, that’s a Medieval style
but as I’ve said the Knights have adapted and reconfigured it and sometimes simply
covered the Fortification with new stones. This was also done by the British.

43 | P a g e
The British adapted what they found by the Knights into their own defensive features.
We don’t know that much about the French as there is very little information. It
seems improbable that they did any architectural changes. However, we think that,
from the very limited resources found so far that it was the General Headquarters of
the Main French Garrison in Malta, but we don’t have any clue whether they did any
architectural changes.

Q: Was its original use ever suspended and why?

A: Well… its practical use as a fortress in the proper sense of the word was
suspended in 1906 when it was transferred to the Royal Navy. Until then it was
always a fortification in constant use.

Q: What is its present use?

A: Its present use is as a historical site, a visitor attraction open to the general public
in a regular basis.

Q: How many visitors do you get on average:

a) Daily
It depends on the season but in high season that is April, May, September,
and October we get between 100 and 150 visitors a day on average. In Low
season we get around 60 visitors on average

b) Weekly
(Keeping in mind the answer to a)) In high season they would average at
around 700 visitors while in low season they would average at around 420
visitors.

c) Yearly
If I April, May, September and October there are on average 100 to 150
visitors a day, in total for those 4 months there would be around 12,200
visitors in total. (The rest of the months were considered as low season) so
in the rest of the year they would get around 14,580 visitors. So, in total, on
average, in a year they would get around 26780 visitors. 13

13
For these two questions they were not discussed in the interview as I was just told to work them out hence
why they are in italics.

44 | P a g e
Q: Are your visitors mainly tourists or Maltese?
A: Mainly tourists but since the introduction of the passport scheme by Heritage Malta
we are seeing an increase in the number of Maltese visitors as well.

Q: Do you get other students like me who are interested in this

fortification site for a school project?
A: Yes, in fact, I was very pleased that for the last 2 years, I think, I have been giving
such interviews on a regular basis and to me that means that we are having more
interest in our cultural heritage.

Q: Are there plans to extend this site not only to other students but
also to locals and tourists?
A: Yes. I cannot give that much details at the moment but yes in the near future we
should see quite an increase in what is on offer

45 | P a g e
 Bibliography
History Notes
Environmental Studies Notes
The Story of Malta by Brian Blouet
Fort St. Angelo Heritage Experience ERDF245
Google images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wignacourt_Tower
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortifications_of_Malta#Coastal_fortifications
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendôme_Tower
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fougasse_(weapon)
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Angelo#Knights'_period
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Angelo#Middle_Ages
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/Artistic-and-architectural-landmarks-in-Citt-
Vittoriosa.611418
- Last accessed on 29/08/2019

46 | P a g e
47 | P a g e