Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago
Moóg ng Santiago
The reconstructed main gate of Fort Santiago
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General information
Type	Bastioned fort
Architectural style	Italian-Spanish school of fortification
Location	along the Pasig River
Town or city	Intramuros
Country	Philippines
Coordinates	14°35′42″N 120°58′10″E / 14.59500°N 120.96944°E / 14.59500; 120.96944
Named for	Saint James the Great
Construction started	1590
Completed	1593
Renovated	1733
Dimensions
Other dimensions	2,030 feet (620 m) perimeter
Technical details
Structural system	Masonry
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas (1590) Fernándo Valdés y Tamon (1730s)
Structural engineer	Leonardo Iturriano[1]
Designations	National Historical Landmark
Website
visitfortsantiago.com

Fort Santiago (Spanish: Fuerte de Santiago; Filipino: Kutà ng Santiago), built in 1571, is a citadel built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is located in Intramuros, the walled city of Manila.

The fort is one of the most important historical sites in Manila. Several people died in its prisons during the Spanish Empire and World War II. José Rizal, the Philippine national hero, was imprisoned here before his execution in 1896. The Rizal Shrine museum displays memorabilia of the hero in their collection and the fort features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his footsteps representing his final walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution.

It is only a few meters away from the Manila Cathedral and the Palacio del Gobernador (lit. Governor's Palace, currently the office of the Commission on Elections).