Fort San Antonio Abad ( es, Fuerte de San Antonio Abad), also known as Fort Malate or Fort San Antonio, is a

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

located in the

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L ...

district of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, completed in 1584 during the Spanish colonial period.

History

Named in honour of its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

, 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 ("little fortress") or

gunpowder magazine A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications ...

. The fort, known as , was captured by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

when they invaded Manila in 1762 during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

. They transformed the fort into a garrison from where the British forces launched their land offensive against the Spaniards defending

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day ...

. 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. The fort fell into American hands in 1898 during the Battle of Manila, and was seized by occupying

Imperial Japanese The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

troops during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, 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 The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Ac ...

(BSP) Complex between the

Manila Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Manila (nicknamed the Met) is one of the major museums in the city located within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Complex along Roxas Boulevard in the Malate district of Manila, the Philippines. It bills itself ...

and other buildings. File:Fort of San Antonio Abad - historic plaque.JPG, Historical marker installed by the Historical Research and Markers Committee in 1937 File:Fort of San Antonio Abad - courtyard 5.JPG, Interior of Fort San Antonio Abad in the Bangko Sentral Complex File:San Antonio (15350526152).jpg, Aerial view of the fort during the American colonial period

References

{{Spanish fortifications in the Philippines San Antonio Abad Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Malate, Manila Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila