Fort St. Angelo lies at the tip of Birgu and is separated from it by a narrow strip of water, a low bridge connecting the Fort with the mainland. The concentric fortifications and buildings making up the Fort are at three different levels.

The Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, generally better known as The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M.) has been granted the exclusive use by the Government of Malta of the uppermost/innermost level of the Fort for 99 years, as a seat in Malta for its international humanitarian and cultural activities.

A first agreement to this effect was drawn up in 1991 and the final agreement between the two Sovereign Entities, with some minor changes with respect to the first one, was signed in Malta on 5 December 1998. The instruments ratifying the agreement were exchanged on 1 November 2001 and the agreement entered into force on that day.

In virtue of the agreement this seat in inviolable although the whole Fort remains subject to the sovereignty of Malta over it. in fact, the flag of Malta is always flown, together with the flag of the Order, in a prominent position over Fort St. Angelo.

Since 1991 the Order has carried out much restoration work on Fort St. Angelo. It is worth mentioning that the Chapel of St. Anne has already been restored and the surrounding courtyard completely repaved. Works on the Magisterial Palace and its unique external staircase have also been completed. The independent block which may have once housed the Chaplains and is now occupied by the Order's representative on the Fort, the Knight Resident, is fully functional too.