Remains of medieval wall-tower

In 1241 Gilberto Abate reported that Malta had three castles; the old medieval Castro of Mdina – the fortified capital town of Malta, the Castello in Gozo, and the Castrum Maris – the Castle by the Sea, inside the Grand Harbour. It was from this point at the very tip of the peninsula where Fort St Angelo now stands, flanked by Kalkara and Dockyard Creeks, that Cottonera is known to have originated. The Phoenicians may have settled there and it is popularly believed but it has neven been scientifically proved, that the site and its surroundings had housed amongst others a temple dedicated to Astarte – the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility and the moon, a Greek shrine to Hera, and later by a Roman sanctuary which Cicero refers to as being ‘of great antiquity and fame dedicated to Juno – highly revered by its neighbouring people as evidenced by the amount of treasure it possessed’.

A surviving rock-hewn cave on this site is believed to relate to the time of St Paul’s shipwreck in Malta in 60 AD, and is said to have served as a chapel during the Roman persecution against Christians in the 3rd Century. A Latin inscription on this cave states that on the expulsion of the Saracens by Count Roger of Normandy in 1090, the inhabitants dedicated this church to the worship of the Mother of God – the Nativity of Our Lady.

An Angevin document from 1274 detailing the rich inventory of St Mary’s Chapel refers to ‘an icon of the Holy Angel; ornamented with pearls, a red spinel and two transparent stones – presumably crystals’ (conam Sancti Angeli impernatum cum tribus lapidus, duobus de vitro et un balasio).

However this icon could not have represented a St Angelo as in the thirteenth century there was no saint under this name. Presumably it could have represented St Michael the Archangel, who in the Middle Ages was a popular figurehead, being the acknowledged patron saint of soldiers, fortifications and castles. It would therefore make sense that in the garrison church – which was protected by a blidda or giant catapult – the archangel St Michael would be honoured with such an icon.

The Fort itself probably originated as a castle, replacing previous temples that may have been either dilapidated or destroyed. It is probable it dates back at least to the Arab invasion in 871 AD as its design matches fairly well with that of other constructions in southern Spain where Arab influence was also highly widespread at the time. The building of the castle on the high ridges of the promontory may have been prompted by the increasing need to protect the harbour area along with the vessels berthed therein.

Willem Schellinx's view of the Castrum Maris from Valletta

The Keeper of the Castle resided within a triangular inner ward enclosure at the highest point of the castle. An outer ward included a number of buildings as well as a tavern.

During the early 13th Century, the Castrum Maris had three corn-grinding mills; four donkeys, and two mules in order to cater for the castle’s bakery; as well as two horse stallions, and two donkey stallions. It was also equipped with an arsenal of catapults, crossbows, swords, firing bolts and other anti-siege armaments such as pitch, tallow, iron, and lead, as well as a garrison of 150 soldiers. At a time when the discovery of gunpowder was still some one and a half centuries away, the castle’s military functions and importance were clearly indicated.

However by 1406 the castle was partly in ruins and a wine tax known as the terzu quartuchu was introduced to finance repairs. The castle was periodically strengthened and documents from 1477 mention the construction of a barbican – a fortification to defend a gate or a drawbridge. Furthermore, following the discovery of gunpowder, 1488 documents refer to the castle wall being provided by a scarp, or sloping face, on the outside so as to be better able to resist cannon fire. In 1524 the Order of the Knights of St John noted that the ancient castle had ‘40 rooms and negligible artillery’, describing it as being ‘quite high but easy to mine and take – especially from the Birgu side’ which consisted of some 150 mariners’ houses, and several orchards. The buildings within the castle had to be replaced after the great earthquake of 1693.

However, it was on the arrival of the Order of St John that the castle was dubbed Fort St Angelo.

Fort St Angelo pre 1530	Fort St Angelo from the north circa 1687
Fort St Angelo from south west circa 1530	Fort St Angelo from south west post 1687