Fort St Elmo

The Heritage Malta Official Guide Book

Fort St Elmo enjoys a distinct standing in the millennial history of the Malteser Islands. Besides serving as a sentinel to the Grand and Marsamxett Harbours since the early Knight's stay, it proved to be a key player during the two epic sieges of Malta. In 1565, the heroic resistance  and ultimate sacrifice of its valiant defenders succeeded to derail by a few precious weeks the unleashing of the Ottoman might on the Island's main stronghold across the Harbour. Significantly, it entered the scene from day one during the second siege of Malta, 375 years later and, eventually, annihilated single-handedly the most insidious seaborne assault on the unsinkable fortress of Malta.