Fort San Antonio Abad
| Fort San Antonio Abad | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location in Metro Manila | |
| Former names | Fuerte de San Antonio Abad |
| General information | |
| Status | Restored |
| Type | Fortification |
| Architectural style | Triangular bastioned fort |
| Location | Central Bank of the Philippines Complex |
| Address | Roxas Boulevard |
| Town or city | Malate, Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°33′45.5″N 120°59′12.6″E / 14.562639°N 120.986833°E |
| Completed | 1584 |
| Renovated | 1970s[1] |
| Owner | Government of the Philippines |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Masonry |
| Designations | Historical Structure marker from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines |
Fort San Antonio Abad (Spanish: Fuerte de San Antonio Abad)[2] is a fortification located in the Malate district of the City of Manila built 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 "little fortress", Polvorista, to store gunpowder.[3] The fort, known as Fort Polverina, was captured by the British when they invaded Manila in 1762 and was transformed into a British 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 became a gunpowder storage facility.[5]
The fort fell into American hands in 1898 during the Battle of Manila and eventually into Japanese control 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 Central Bank buildings.[1]
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Interior of Fort San Antonio Abad in the Bangko Sentral complex -
Aerial view of the fort during the American colonial period
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References
- ^ a b (2008-01-26). "Fort San Antonio Abad - Manila". Muog - Spanish Colonial Fortifications in the Philippines]. Retrieved on 2012-04-24.
- ^ Sonido, Juned (2012-01-31). "The Other Fort: The Fort of San Antonio Abad". Baratillo Pamphlet. Retrieved on 2012-04-24.
- ^ Tracy, Nicholas (1995). Manila Ransomed. University of Exeter Press. p. 34.
- ^ Grant, James (1873). British Battles On Land and Sea. Cassell & Company, Limited. pp. 126–130.
- ^ Javellana, Rene (1997). Fortress of empire : Spanish colonial fortifications of the Philippines. Makati: Bookmark.
