Fort San Antonio Abad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort San Antonio Abad |
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| Former names | La Polvorista Fuerte de Polverina |
| Alternative names | Fort Malate Fort San Antonio |
| General information | |
| Status | Restored |
| Type | Fortification |
| Architectural style | Triangular bastioned fort |
| Location | Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Complex |
| Address | Roxas Boulevard |
| Town or city | Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°33′45.5″N 120°59′12.6″E / 14.562639°N 120.986833°E |
| Named for | Saint Anthony the Abbot |
| Completed | 1584 |
| Renovated | 1970s |
| 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), also known as Fort Malate or Fort San Antonio, is a fortification located in the Malate district of Manila, Philippines, completed in 1584 during the Spanish colonial period.
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. 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 the fort into a garrison from where the British forces launched their land offensive against the Spaniards defending Intramuros. 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 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 (BSP) Complex between the Manila Metropolitan Museum and other buildings.
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Historical marker installed by the Historical Research and Markers Committee in 1937
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Interior of Fort San Antonio Abad in the Bangko Sentral Complex
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Aerial view of the fort during the American colonial period
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See also
In Spanish: Fuerte de San Antonio Abad para niños
