Fort Monoel is a fortification on the island of Malta. It stands on Monoel Island in Marsamxett Harbour to the north west of Valetta and commands the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour and the anchorage of Selima Creek. Nakhal Fort, one of the best-preserved forts in Oman. ... St Johns Co-Cathedral Valletta, population 7048 (official estimate for 2000), is the capital of Malta. ...

Fort Manoel is a star fort, with much of its ditches and walls formed from the native rock of Manoel Island. A Star Fort is a fortification in the style that evolved during the Age of Blackpowder when cannon came to dominate the battlefield. ...

The fort was built by the Knights of Malta between 1723 and 1755, under the patronage of Portuguese Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena. The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Antonio Manoel de Vilhena (1663 - 10 December 1736) was the 66th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John and ruled the island of Malta from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736). ...

The original design work for a fort on the island, then known as Isolotto, was the work of the French engineer René Jacob de Tigné. The final design that was that was constructed also incorporated the work of Charles François de Mondion, at that time the Knights of Malts's resident military engineer in charge of works of fortification and defence. Mondion also supervised the construction, and was buried in the fort's church, St. Anthony’s Chapel. Charles Francois de Mondion (1681-1733) was a French military engineer who first arrived in Malta in 1715 during the principate of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccafull of the Knights of Malta. ... A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive and defensive structures for warfare. ...

Unfortunately during the Second World War this chapel was severly damaged by aerial bombing. It is currently under restoration. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ...

The fort was an active military establisment initially under the Knights and later under British Military control from its construction through until 1906 when the the British military finally decomissiond the forts guns.

During the Second World War, a battery of 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft guns was deployed in and around the fort.The guns were mounted in concrete gun emplacements and deployed in a semi-circle around the fort. The fort suffered considerable damage to its ramparts, barracks as well as to the chapel as a result of aerial bombing in Second World War. Rampart may mean: A type of defensive wall consisting of a low earthen embankment topped by a parapet or palisade. ... Barracks are military housing. ...

The fort is currently undergoing major restoration work, to repair the ravages of time, and damage sustained during the defence of Malta during the second world war. The restoration is expected to continue into 2010. Restoration can be one of several things, depending on context: In criminal justice, restoration is another term for restorative justice. ... The Island of Malta The Siege of Malta was a significant military event during World War II that occurred between 1940 and 1942 on the island of Malta. ...

Parts of the fort will then be open to the public.

External Links

• http://www.maltavista.net/en/list/photo/1421.html
• http://sites.waldonet.net.mt/malta/manoel1.htm