Forte de São Sebastião is a fort in the Azores.

The Fort of São Sebastião, also referred to as Castelo de São Sebastião or simply Castelinho, is located in the port of Pipas, parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in the city and municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, on the south coast of Terceira Island, in the Azores.

Built on a small hill that forms the extreme ESE of angra bay, in the historic center of the city, this fort was built in 1580 and represented a new concept for coastal protection, it was also the first major maritime fortification in the city. It crossed fires with the Fortress of São João Baptista in Monte Brasil, in defense of the port of Pipas, at the time the most important anchorage and shipyard of the island where they climbed the vessels of the Career of India and the fleets of Brazil, in transit to the Kingdom of Portugal. The importance of his position derived from the ease with which he could militarily close the bay of Angra. On Holy Thursday 1641, on March 28, in the context of the revolt against the dominant Spanish presence, it was conquered by the company of ordinances of Ribeirinha, commanded by Manuel Jaques de Oliveira.

Nowadays this historic fort is an hotel included in the Pousadas de Portugal group which features iconic and historic places of Portugal. It is open for visits every day of the week, visits are free.

Construction

It was built at the suggestion of Isidoro de Almeida and designed by the architect Tomaz Benedito de Pesaro to Italian taste. This fortress was finished in the time of El-Rei D. Sebastião, from which he withdraws the invocation. Demonstration of a new idea of coastal defense, already sensitive and aware of the new functions of port support, could cross fire with São Benedicto (Spanish name for the Fortress of São João Baptista), on the coast of Monte Brasil.

Forte de São Sebastião

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Name in English

The Castle of Moinhos, officially known as the Castle of São Cristóvão, or Castle/Fort of São Luís is the name of the ruins of 16th-century fortification in city of Angra, on the Portuguese island of Terceira in the archipelago of the Azores. It is primarily known as the Castle of Moinhos, owing to the popular name given to the site for the number of mills that dotted the hilltop, on which the castle was erected.

History

The first fort to be built in the archipelago, the Castle of São Luís was erected between the 1460 and 1470, by the founder of Angra, Álvaro Martins Homem. It was a fortification of modest proportions, established on a hilltop (the current Alto da Memória) with a dominant position over the valley, river and harbour. Its design was in keeping with the late-medieval military design and constructed on a high platform, within the earth and away from the sea. Its elevation and slope resulted in an artificial ravine, whose waters were captured by Álvaro Martins (1461) to move his milling wheels along its course; the fortification became popularly known as the Castle of Moinhos or Castle of Mills. Writing in between 1644 and 1711, Father Manuel Luís Maldonado wrote of the many waterways of Angra, noted several of the mills that dotted the path of the main ravine: the mills of Janela, Cova, Picão, Rego, Madeira, Calçada, Calçadinha, Fábrica, Muro, Duas Portas, São João de Deus and the Moinho Novo. Similarly, Gaspar Frutuoso mentioned these mills and waterways, noting that: in the hillock that circles Angra, in one of the higher hilltops to the north, is a castle fort with munitions and artillery, newly renovated and provisioned, which had earlier been weak, erected solely for the shelter and defense of its residents.

Although Álvaro Martins expected to receive the royal donation of lands in Angra in 1474, the King substituted he donation with the title of to the Captaincy of Praia. The first Captain-major of the Captaincy of Angra, João Vaz Corte-Real found no reason to continue the defensive fortification. Unfortunately, years later, the island was attacked by Castilian sailors that initially landed in Angra and then marched on Praia. For this reason, in 1482, the Infanta Beatrice, who governed the islands on behalf of her son (the Captain-Major D. Diogo), sent a letter to Álvaro Martins, warning him that Castilian vessels continued to haunt the seas of the Azores. In order to reinforce coastal defenses, she sent Pedro Anes Rebelo (as provider of fortifications), to guide Martins in the defense of his village. After completing his task of building the Castle of São Luís (around 1493), Anes Rebelo wed a niece of João Vaz Corte-Real's spouse.

In 1495, the Alcaidaria-mor (similar to the Spanish alcalde) of the castle was given to the Captain-major of Angra, who lived there for a while. Later, it would become the residence of his trusted lieutenant, who was paid a stipend and obliged to take-up residence. Eventually the castle's Alcaidaria-mor was integrated into Captaincy of Angra, when it began to be known as the Castle of São Cristóvão (1582). It was during the reigns of King John III (1521–1557) and King Sebastian (1568–1578) that the first defensive plans were drawn-up by military engineer Tommaso Benedetto (in 1567). The Italian architect engineer concentrated on a global defense plan for the main islands of the Azores, concentrating the defenses at the ports and anchorages. Consequently, the old castle/fort served little use, and his successor, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos, doubled his efforts with fifty defensive works along the coast of the island. Its strategic role further degenerated, with many of its dependencies used to store gunpowder for Angra, transferred from the Praça Velha for security reasons. Father António Cordeiro (1641-1722), wrote of the castle's ruins in his História Insulana, identifying that only the walls remained of the structure, which was also identified by Father Maldonando. The small medieval fort, therefore, was slowly substituted by the coastal defenses of the Fort of São Sebastião and Fort of Santo António, with the latter strategically located at the edge of Monte Brasil (and which created a crossfire zone with the first, to secure the bay).

In 1839, the lands were donated to the City of Angra in order to building a municipal promenade.

On 20 May 1844, work began to demolish the old walls, to construct a memorial in honour former-King Pedro IV of Portugal who was instrumental in the restoration of the Liberal regime of his daughter Queen Maria II, and whose regency was based in Terceira. The foundation-stone, which was believed to be the same rock that the former-monarch stepped-upon when he disembarked in Angra in 1832, was placed on the site on 3 March 1845. At the time of its inauguration (in 1856), the municipal council deliberated whether to name the newly built courtyard the Praça D. Pedro IV, but popular sentiment opted for the name Alto da Memória (Heights of Memory). The monument was practically destroyed during the 1980 earthquake, and was reconstructed/re-inaugurated by the municipal council on 25 April 1985.

Architecture

The Castle of Moinhos is situated on the hilltop plateau that separates the eastern portion of the civil parish of Sé from Nossa Senhora da Conceição. The Alto da Memória monument and former castle grounds can be reached from the Gardens of the Duke of Terceira (its primary entrance at Rua do Marques) or directly from Rua do Pisão, where the monument fronts the roadway.

Little remains of the castle features except the waist-high battlements, that served little more than lookout to the city of Angra. A double staircase connects the main platform from the path leading to the Gardens. Gardened and manicured, the spaces below the old castle are lined by endemic and flowering plants. Apart from the monument to D. Pedro IV, the only remnant to the fortifications use is an azulejo tile dedicated to the Fort of São Luís located in the staircase. Remnants of the ravine canalization and mills are evident in the roads that lead from the park grounds, including along the Rua do Pisão, Rua do Garoupinha and Rua de Santo Espírito.

Castle of Moinhos

The Fortress of São João Baptista (Portuguese: Forte de São João Baptista), also known as the Fort of São Filipe or Fort of Monte Brasil is a historic fortress and defensive emplacement, located in the civil parish of Sé, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo in the Portuguese island of Terceira, archipelago of the Azores.

History

A defense study for the Azores began in the middle of the 16th century by military engineer Bartolomeu Ferraz: in his report to the Portuguese Crown, he indicated that islands of São Miguel, Terceira, São Jorge, Faial and Pico were vulnerable to attacks by pirates and Protestant privateers (primarily English, French and Dutch), and its ports and village required better security conditions.

It was during the reigns of John III (1521–1557) and Sebastian (1568–1578) that the first defensive plans were drawn-up by the Italian architect and a military engineer Tommaso Benedetto (in 1567), who elaborated a plan of global defense for the main islands of the Azores. Further, it was his opinion that, should an enemy attack from the sea, that defenses should be concentrated at the ports and anchorages, defended by the local population, under the responsibility of each municipal authority.

The final plan for Angra do Heroísmo and Terceira included elaboration of the coastal defenses at the Fort of São Sebastião (or the Castelinho as it is known), the Porto das Pipas and the Fort of São Sebastião (in the area of Ribeira Seca); the plan was later continued by Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos, then governor of the islands, to encompass over fifty defensive works along the coast of the island.

Iberian Union

During the Iberian Union, the fortifications in the Bay of Angra were at the centre of the Azores and a strategic route between the goods of India and the Orient and the markets of Europe (comparable to the complex fortifications that were constructed in Havana (in Cuba) and Cartagena (in Colombia) during later epochs).

The fort was erected after the conquest of Terceira by the Spanish military, as a consequence of the events related to the Iberian Union (1580–1640), when, under command of Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, King Philip II of Spain (Philip I of Portugal) retook the island from the forces of António, Prior of Crato. With the start of Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), it was strengthened as privateers, such as Francis Drake (1587) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, whose adjunct Walter Raleigh, attacked the neighbouring settlement in Horta, during the summer of 1597. 

The construction started in 1593, with the first cornerstone at the Santa Catarina bastion (northwest angle) in a ceremony presided by the Governor of the Presidio, António de la Puebla, and the Bishop of Angra, Manuel Gouveia.The final engineering plan was overseen by the Italian military engineer Giovanni Vicenzo Casale and his assistants, the Sienese engineer Tibúrcio Spannocchi and Anton Coll (Antão Colla), who had planned the design in 1590. Essentially, the defensive plan was elaborated by Spannocchi, who conceived of the design after visiting the location in 1583-1584, but its position on Monte Brasil was planned by Coll, who since its foundation accompanied the work in Angra (until his death in 1618). Ostensibly, the work began in 1594. Later the engineers Girolamo Francès and Giovanni Battista Cairati (who was the royal architect in the court of Phillip II of Spain) participated in this project, renaming the fortress the Fortaleza de São Filipe (in his monarch's honour).

Due to various problems, the construction continued into the government of Diogo Fajardo (1628–1639). At this time, the three interconnected cisterns (with a capacity of 750,000 kilograms), stables (on the site of the Governor's palace) and the chapel of Santa Catarina de Sena (which was later re-baptised in honour of the Holy Spirit).

The built environment was completed with local boulder stone and basalt by rocksmiths and masons, and a great part of the labourers were actually men condemned to the gallows. Others were soldiers from the presidio who were being punished and were, by Governor Diogo de Miranda Queiroz (who started the practice), obligated to participate in the work. Although this type of punishment reached its extremes during the governorship of Diogo Fajardo, it is debatable where hundreds of local Azoreans were forced to work in the project. Regardless, it is known that many Terceirenses and local islanders supported the construction of the fort through taxes and tithes.

Restoration

During the Portuguese Restoration (1640), Spanish forces, under the command of field-commander Álvaro de Viveiros, resisted for eleven months (from 27 March 1641 to 4 March 1642). It was only with the multi-island force commanded by Francisco Ornelas da Câmara and João de Bettencourt that the deadlock was broken, and the forces capitulated. Surrendering with military honour, the Spaniards were permitted to retreat with their personal arms and two bronze artillery pieces, along with their munition. They left behind 138 steel and bronze cannons, 392 arquebuses, 400 muskets and their associated munitions.

With the recapture of the fort, it was rechristened to the invocation of John the Baptist (Portuguese: São João Baptista), homage to John IV of Portugal; the church was later constructed to honour their patron saint in 1642.

In 1658, one of the bastions were repaired (although its unclear which),  while in 1662 reconstruction and renovation was completed that were expensive (comparable to almost the same costs associated with the soldiers and officers).

In the second half of the 17th century, the gunpowder magazine supported the fortifications in the rest of the island. Within the citadel, single soldiers, married couples (some with families) and retired officers/enlisted lived together. Along the flanks of Monte Brasil the groups maintained plots of land for a subsistence agriculture. At the end the century, the religious Brotherhood to the Cult of the Holy Spirit was one of the richest in the city.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Father António Cordeiro, writing of the community Angra and the citadel within the Fortaleza de São João Baptista.

But, progressively, within the century, some of its spaces were being used for training, which lasted until the 19th century.

By 1720 the craftsmen had completed the remodelling work on the church,  which was at a time that the fortress had 60 active emplacements.

Liberal Wars

Following the Porto Liberal Revolution of 1820 that ushered in the Liberal movement, the fort was the site where the first Liberal forces took power, under the command of Captain-general, brigadier Francisco António de Araújo e Azevedo (2 April 1821). It was also here that the first counter-revolution was fought two days later (3–4 April 1821).

The Liberal government in Terceira established a money house within the fort (7 May 1829) to coin "malucos"(which were equivalent to 100 réis) for the government of the Prince Regent John: based on the same design coined in Rio de Janeiro during the exile. The year 1829 was also the year where, in conjunction with the Fort of São Sebastião, the Fort of São Baptista repelled an assault by a Miguelist squadron in the Bay of Angra.

Related to the success of the Liberal movement, during the tumult of the first battles of the Liberal Wars between Peter IV and his brother, Miguel, it was the 5th Infantry Battalion that restored the rights of Peter and Constitutional monarchy. The unit received a flag personally embroidered by Queen Maria II with gold-inlay for their services.

At the end of the century (1896), the fort was the permanent home of African King Gungunhana, who was politically imprisoned within its walls until his death on 23 December 1906.

20th century

At the outbreak of the First World War, Portugal was a neutral nation, but this progressively changed due in most part to its concerns over its dependencies and economic blockades with its main markets. Following a request by England to detain German nationals, Germany declared war on Portugal (which was reciprocated on 9 March 1916). The original detainees and subsequent German nationals were transferred to the Fortress of São João Baptista between 1916 and 1919 (the end of the War).

The use of the fort as a prison for political prisoners was continued during the Estado Novo regime: in 1933 a military presidio created and in 1943 a "Depósito de Presos de Angra" (deposit for Angran convicts) was also established.

By the middle of the century, a plan by the Comissão da Avaliação das Novas Infra-estruturas das Forças Armadas (CANIFA) (Armed Forces Commission on the Evaluation of New Infrastructures) demolished the buildings west of the fort and east of the Church.

Meanwhile, it became a communications centre (Centro de Comunicações da Armada) for the Portuguese Armed Forces, and later a radio antenna was erected to create and support Pico Rádio.

The remaining fortress complex was classified on 18 August 1943 as a Property of Public Interest (under decree No.32-973) by the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN) (General-Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments).

In 1956 the Serviços dos Monumentos Nacionais (National Monument Services) completed some renovations of the Church, while a recuperation of the fort began with a smaller conservation project in 1959.

As part of the historical centre, the Fort was included as part of the UNESCO designated World Heritage Site in 1983. Visitors to Monte Brasil, apart from the many walking trails, can be guided by members of the armed forces, who provide historical interpretation tours of its grounds.

Between 1995 and 1997 (on three separate projects) the walls of the fort were consolidated and strengthened.

In 1997, the Church of São João Baptista was completely renovated (including both interiors and exteriors). The reconstruction of the wall along the Bay of Fanal was begun in 2000, and completed by 2001, when the recuperation of the roofs of the hermitage of Santa Catarina were initiated. In 2011, the cost to repair and maintain the site was estimated at 100,000 Euros annually, which included maintaining the walls straight and spaces clean, yet costs associated with repairs to many of the buildings, drainage systems and water networks, electrical networks, was estimated at four million Euros.

Architecture

The fortress dominates the promontory of Monte Brasil, a volcanic cone situated along the southern coast of Terceira, at the extreme tip of the city of Angra linked by an isthmus, on either side of which it is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and the bays of Fanal and Angra.

The actual structure covers an area of 3 km² and is constituted a principal nucleus with a 111.5 metre long curtain of walls (three bastions and two partial-bastions) that extend 570 metres, to a maximum height of 15 metres and while at most 2.6 metres wide. Within these walls, some the lands was excavated to about 10 metres, and trenches (of equal depth) are located outside the walls. In addition, the edge of each the fort's limits are another two walls that encircle the peninsula.

Fortaleza de São João Baptista da Ilha Terceira

Fortress of São Mateus da Calheta (Portuguese: Forte Grande de São Mateus da Calheta) is a fort in the civil parish of São Mateus da Calheta, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, island of Terceira, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

History

Construction of the fort of São Mateus began in 1581, after the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580, under the determination of the Corregidor of the Azores, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos. This fort was part of a larger plan for the defense of the island drawn out by engineer Tommaso Benedetto de Pesaro, in 1567, after an attack by the French corsair Pierre Bertrand de Montluc in Funchal (October 1566), and attempt/failure by pirates to seize Angra in the same year.

It was in the shadow of the fort, that the carracks from Indian trade routes would appear, making landfall for the first time.

With the installation of the Captaincy General of the Azores, its state was described in the following terms (1767):

Fort of Prainha of São Mateus. This is the largest (of the redoubt fortresses) that are on the west of the city of Angra and remodeled anew. It has six canons and requires another two and another six...another two with its emplacements and to garrison eight artillerymen and two auxiliaries.
It was referred to as Forte da Praya de S. Matheus, in the report Revista aos fortes que defendem a costa da ilha Terceira, by adjutant Manoel Correa Branco (1776), who indicated, ...it is the best on the coast. This fort was rebuilt, and does not require reconstruction.

In 1767, in his Revista dos Fortes (Review of Forts), engineer/sergeant major João António Júdice, conducted a review and expansion under orders from the Captain-General of the Azores; in his plans he referred to the fort as the largest located to the west of the city of Angra. At that time, the fort was protected by between six and eight artillery pieces and 32 auxiliaries; it had six canons, equipped with pieces in steel, all in good condition. He concluded that the fort's artillery should be reinforced with two cannons and their respective equipment.

By the beginning of the 19th century, José Rodrigo de Almeida, developed a plan that included six cannons, each three in directed to the sea.

Between 1828 and 1834, the fort took on a great importance during the defense of the island, owing to the Civil War, when Terceira became the headquarters of the Regency supporting Queen Maria II. During this time (1830), the fort's plan was reinforced by José Rodrigo de Almeida.

The Baron of Basto, writing on the fort's condition, described it In good state. It is likely conserved owing to it being the more important along the coast; there are five canon emplacements, an area of five fathom squared, lodging for 20 squares, magazine and storehouse.

By 1871, the fort was at the disposition of the Ministry of War (Portuguese: Ministério da Guerra) and summarily given to a veteran, so that he could reside with his family. Later, it was used to house the needy. Yet, by 1881, an area of approximately 483 meters squared was added to the fort, likely by the Ministry of War.

The fort, under little need, was given over to the Junta Freguesia of São Mateus, in order to stage open-air concerts and cinema in the 20th century. It was during this century that the first remodeling was attempted, with work carried out by the municipal council of Angra do Heroísmo. In 2010, the area around the land-side portion of the fort was remodeled in order to appeal to tourism.


Architecture

A maritime fort, it is located approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of the city of Angra do Heroísmo, along the Prainha de São Mateus, the most important southerly port on the island, as well as the principal commercial fishing port. The fort is located on a cliff formation, almost at the level of the sea, and adapted to the accented relief. To its north is the principal roadway.

The strong fortification is integrated into a wider system, located along the southern coast, consisting of six redoubts that protected the parish. Constructed to defend the harbor, the fort created a crossfire zone with Fort of Biscoitinho and the Fort of Má Ferramenta. Structurally, the fort consisted of a triangle pointing towards the sea, and two half bastions facing uneven ground. Of these bastions, one was very acute and the other almost rectangular, with the internal battery.

Contiguous with the fort, to the west, is a small defensive curtain, that some authors consider to be the remains of the fabled Reduto do Poço, still referenced by the end of the 18th century.

Forte Grande de São Mateus da Calheta

O Forte de São Pedro, também referido como Forte do Porto dos Biscoitos, mas também como Forte de Santo António, localiza-se na freguesia dos Biscoitos, concelho da Praia da Vitória, na costa norte da ilha Terceira, nos Açores.

Em posição dominante sobre este trecho do litoral, constituiu-se em uma fortificação destinada à defesa deste ancoradouro contra os ataques de piratas e corsários, outrora frequentes nesta região do oceano Atlântico. Cruzava fogos com o Forte da Rua Longa, ao sul.

História

Foi edificado por volta de 1520, pelo Provedor das Fortificações, Pedro Anes do Canto, para defesa daquele ancoradouro que atendia não apenas as suas terras, mas as naus da Carreira da Índia, e em homenagem a quem foi assim denominado.

DRUMMOND informa que o forte foi edificado no contexto da crise de sucessão de 1580, entre 1579 e 1581, por determinação do então corregedor dos Açores, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos, conforme o plano de defesa da ilha elaborado por Tommaso Benedetto em 1567,  o que pode indicar não a sua construção mas a sua reedificação ou reforço à época.

No contexto da Guerra Civil Portuguesa (1828-1834), recebeu obras de reforço em 1828, passando a abrigar um destacamento de tropa de linha com a função de prevenir uma eventual tentativa de desembarque de forças opositoras ao regime liberal. Ao fim do conflito foi desguarnecido.

Quando da realização do tombo de 1881, encontrava-se abandonado e parcialmente arruinado; a casa da guarnição fora ocupada por um pescador da freguesia dos Biscoitos.

No contexto da Segunda Guerra Mundial abrigou um ninho de metralhadoras.

Em nossos dias encontra-se conservado como miradouro por iniciativa da Junta de Freguesia dos Biscoitos.

Características

Do tipo abaluartado, apresenta planta com formato pentagonal irregular, com 805 metros quadrados. As muralhas erguidas em cantaria no paramento exterior, são rasgadas por três canhoneiras. Contava com algumas banquetas para fuzilaria e uma casa de alvenaria coberta com colmo, para a guarnição, erguida isolada, externamente ao recinto do forte.