Information
Landmark: St. Michael's BastionCity: Senglea
Country: Malta
Continent: Europe
St. Michael's Bastion, Senglea, Malta, Europe
Overview
St. Michael’s Bastion towers over Senglea (L-Isla), Malta, as part of the city’s old stone defenses built by the Knights of St. John.Named for St. Michael the Archangel, the bastion stood guard over Senglea and the Grand Harbour, its cannons thundering during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.In the mid-1500s, Grand Master Claude de la Sengle oversaw the construction of the bastion, a vital part of Senglea’s defenses built to shield the Grand Harbour from attacks by sea or land.Perched on the city’s northeastern edge, it offered sweeping views of the water, Birgu’s walls, and the stone bulk of Fort St. Angelo.During the Great Siege of Malta, St. Michael’s Bastion stood as one of the city’s strongest lines of defense.Led by the Knights and backed by the local militia, the bastion’s defenders held their ground through wave after wave of Ottoman assaults, a stand that proved vital to the Knights’ final triumph.Thick curtain walls-stone blocks weathered and scarred-rose to meet the thunder of enemy cannons.The walls once linked St. Michael’s Bastion to the rest of Senglea’s defenses, forming an unbroken shield of stone; from its perch above the Grand Harbour, cannon platforms gave defenders a clear shot at any ship daring to approach, while its angled, polygonal walls-hallmarks of the trace italienne style-let crossfire sweep the water and blunted direct hits; during the Great Siege of 1565, when Ottoman forces pounded the bastion with shot and stormed its walls, the garrison stood fast, bolstered by reinforcements from Birgu and Fort St. Angelo, their spirit lifted by a moment they believed was St. Michael’s own intervention; scarred again by Axis bombs in World War II, the bastion was painstakingly restored, and today it crowns Senglea as both a heritage site and a beloved lookout, offering sweeping views of Valletta, Birgu, and the glittering harbour-still a proud emblem of the “Unconquered City.”Perched above the harbor with sweeping views and centuries of history etched into its walls, the bastion is a must for anyone drawn to the military and cultural heritage of Senglea and the Three Cities.
