View of Fort Manoel from Valletta, across Marsamxett Harbour. The star-shaped fort was built by the Knights of Malta between 1723 and 1755 on what it was then called Bishops Island, which already hosted the Lazaretto, a quarantine hospital. After the fort was built, the island started to be called Manoel Island, as it is still known today. The fort was an active military establishment and the large central piazza, doubling as a parade ground, is flanked by barrack blocks and gunpowder magazines but it also contains a chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua.
