Fort San Antonio Abad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Fort San Antonio" redirects here. For the US Army base in San Antonio, Texas, see Fort Sam Houston. For the fort in Axim, Ghana, see Fort Saint Anthony.
Fort San Antonio Abad
Fort of San Antonio Abad - back entrance 2.JPG
Fort San Antonio Abad is located in Metro Manila
Fort San Antonio Abad
Location in Metro Manila
Former namesFuerte de San Antonio Abad
General information
StatusRestored
TypeFortification
Architectural styleTriangular bastioned fort
LocationCentral Bank of the Philippines Complex
AddressRoxas Boulevard
Town or cityMalate, Manila
CountryPhilippines
Coordinates14°33′45.5″N 120°59′12.6″E / 14.562639°N 120.986833°E / 14.562639; 120.986833Coordinates: 14°33′45.5″N 120°59′12.6″E / 14.562639°N 120.986833°E / 14.562639; 120.986833
Completed1584
Renovated1970s[1]
OwnerGovernment of the Philippines
Technical details
Structural systemMasonry
DesignationsHistorical Structure marker from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Fort San Antonio Abad (also Fort Malate or Fort San Antonio, Spanish: Fuerte de San Antonio Abad)[2] is a fortification located in the Malate district of the City of Manila completed in 1584 during the Spanish Colonial Period in the Philippines.

History[]

Named in honour of its patron saint, Saint Anthony the Abbot, the structure was originally built in 1584 in what was then a separate hamlet of Malate to serve as a rear protection for the Manila as well as to guard the Manila-Cavite route.

The Spanish used the fort as a Polvorista ("little fortress") or gunpowder magazine.[3] The fort, known as Fuerte de Polverina, was captured by the British when they invaded Manila in 1762 during the Seven Years' War. They transformed it into a garrison from where the British forces launched their land offensive against the Spaniards defending Intramuros.[4] The fort was returned to Spanish control upon the end of the British occupation of Manila in 1764 and again became a gunpowder storage facility.[5]

The fort fell into American hands in 1898 during the Battle of Manila, and was seized by occupying Imperial Japanese troops during World War II, when it was used as a bunker.

The fort suffered considerable damage after the war, but was not restored until the 1970s. The restored fort is now enclosed within the confines of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank) Complex between the Manila Metropolitan Museum and other buildings.[1]

  • Historical marker installed by the Historical Research and Markers Committee in 1937

  • Interior of Fort San Antonio Abad in the Bangko Sentral Complex

  • Aerial view of the fort during the American colonial period

References[]

  1. ^ a b (2008-01-26). "Fort San Antonio Abad - Manila". Muog - Spanish Colonial Fortifications in the Philippines]. Retrieved on 2012-04-24.
  2. ^ Sonido, Juned (2012-01-31). "The Other Fort: The Fort of San Antonio Abad". Baratillo Pamphlet. Retrieved on 2012-04-24.
  3. ^ Tracy, Nicholas (1995). Manila Ransomed. University of Exeter Press. p. 34.
  4. ^ Grant, James (1873). British Battles On Land and Sea. Cassell & Company, Limited. pp. 126–130.
  5. ^ Javellana, Rene (1997). Fortress of empire : Spanish colonial fortifications of the Philippines. Makati: Bookmark.
Retrieved from ""