Porta de Santiago (A Famosa Fortress)

January 28th, 2006

Pictures of Porta de Santiago at Flickr

The Porta de Santiago is one of the four main gates of the A Famosa fortress. It was built by the Portuguese in 1512 under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque, the leader of the Portuguese army that seized Malacca in 1511. For almost 150 years, this magnificent fort had successfully protected the Portuguese position in Melaka, until it was overrun by the Dutch. It was damaged during the attack, but the Dutch later repaired and renamed it VOC with an embossed emblem. But unfortunately what is left until today is nothing more than a gateway called Porta de Santiago.

During the age of Dutch occupation in Melaka, the Porta de Santiago was not only renamed to VOC, but reconstructed to bear the coat of arms of the Dutch East India Company as well. Until today, the company crest is still significantly seen on the gateway.

Practically all the visitors coming to Melaka will schedule a visit to the Porta de Santiago. This gateway is such a significant symbol in Melaka that your traveling trip to Melaka is never considered worthy without complemented with a visit to Porta de Santiago. After all, Porta de Santiago has accompanied the historic Melaka throughout its glorious days, to the time when the Sultanate cosmopolitan empire faded its status, following up by foreign colonization in Malaya, till today that Melaka has been part of the independent nation Malaysia for tens of years.

The Porta de Santiago is situated at the foot of St. Paul’s Hill of Bandar Hilir, and directly facing the Dataran Pahlawan Megamall.

Santiago Bastion is Unearthed?

In the initial construction stage of Dataran Pahlawan, the Department of Museums and Antiquities (JMA) had started an initial rescue excavation to salvage any significant artifacts. Interestingly and surprisingly, the remains of Santiago Bastion, one of four gateways of Malacca Fort which was thought to have been destroyed by the British in 1807, are unearthed!

The Badan Warisan Malaysia (Heritage of Malaysia Trust) has published an article to summarize the possible discovery of the Santiago Bastion. Click here to find out further information.

Nearest Hotel

A Famosa Fortress is located within walking distance from Hotel Equatorial Melaka, one of the popular Melaka hotels.

GPS Coordinate: N2.19190 E102.25036

Related Previous Posts

• St. Paul’s Church
• Map@Melaka - Chinatown
• The Night before Official Opening of Dataran Pahlawan Megamall
• WMW’s Travelogue
• Melaka Trishaws – Modernized Decoration on Old Transportation

Entry Filed under: Historical Site

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