St. John’s Fort
The fortlet can be found to the East of Melaka and is the only survivor of a handful of outposts once built to defend Melaka. It survived due to the fact that it was one of the few defense structures made from stone while others were built in wood, and because it managed to avoid the building craze in the centuries following. This small and quiet outpost, surrounded by some old Chinese graves, allows for some great views over Melaka’s latest developments on land reclaimed from the Malacca Straits.
St. John's Fort circa 1950.
(Source: Barnyard Dawg, private collection)
History
The hill was referred to as the Friesche Berg (Frisian Mount) by the Dutch, but today it is known as St. John’s Hill. Both hill and fortlet derive their name from a small private chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist, once built by a member of the Portuguese community who had an orchard here. When the Achinese attacked Melaka in 1628, the chapel was destroyed and the hill, then known as Bukit Pipi, was used for their subsequent successful attack on Bukit Cina. The Portuguese only managed to hold on to Melaka thanks to the timely arrival of reinforcements from San Thomé (Coromandel Coast, South India) and from the Sultan of Pahang. The Dutch would attack along the same route in 1640.
St. John’s Fort, or Fort Johannes as it was called by its Dutch builders, probably offers the most authentic view of Dutch Melaka. It was built between 1760 and 1790 and was armed with eight 6-pounders and at the time of surrender to the British, manned by 2 Dutch and 8 Javanese artillerymen. Except for the arch above the gate which was a later addition by the English, the structure has kept its original shape throughout the centuries. The somewhat remote location away from Melaka town allowed it to survive orders issued by the British Government to William Farquhar to destroy all buildings and structures left by former occupants. Though the great fort of Melaka was successfully destroyed, most other buildings escaped the same faith. The fortlet even escaped a more recent trend whereby certain structures regularly receive a thick coat of crimson red paint, as can be witnessed at Melaka’s Dutch Square and its immediate surroundings.
Once a year, on June 23rd, the Fiesta San Juang (Patronal Feast of St. John the Baptist) is held by the Portuguese community. On this occasion, members of the Irmãos de Igreja (Brethren of the Church) will light up their wicker torches and walk to all homes in the settlement, which incidentally can be seen from the fort, lighting up little white candles along the way. These days the Fiesta San Juang is combined with the Feast of San Pedro (Feast of St. Peter, the Patron Saint of Fishermen) on June 24th.
Quick Fact
During their time in Melaka, the forces of the Dutch East India Company largely controlled the Malacca Straits, and even if an attack could be mounted from the sea, the shallow waters at Melaka did not allow larger ships, the so-called men-of-war, to come close enough for their cannons to have any impact worth mentioning on Melaka’s fortifications. However, there was always the threat of attacks from within the peninsula. Therefore, the choice was made to have gun emplacements at St. John’s face land inwards and not towards the sea.
Join us at Geocaching Malaysia