Castelo de São João Baptista do Monte Brasil
Encyclopedia
The Fortaleza de São João Baptista, also known as Fortaleza do Monte Brasil and Fortaleza de São Filipe (Portuguese meaning Saint Philip
) is a historic fortress located in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo
in the south of the island of Terceira
in the Azores, Portugal
.
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 vulernable to attacks by priates 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.
, 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 Marquess of Santa Cruz
, King Philip II of Spain
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 new project served to two functions:
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 Spannochi 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 theFortaleza 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 cistern
s (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 tithe
s.
(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 arquebus
es, 400 musket
s and their associated munitions.
With the recapture of the fort, it was rechristened to the invocation of John the Baptist
, 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.
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
betweenPeter 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.
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 Fort 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.
, a volcanic
cone situated along the southern coast of Terceira, at the extreme tip of the city of Angra linked by a 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 are of 3 km² and is constituted a principal nucleus with a 111.5 metre long curtain of walls (three bastion
s 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.
The five bastion
s that reinforce the wall at the isthmus are, from west to east:
On the western flank of the fort, near the Santa Catarina Bastion and over the Bay of Fanal, there also exists the Arsenal Battery with five other cannon emplacements.
The Santa Luzia Bastion is also connected by the one kilometre long Santo António wall, along the eastern coast of Monte Brasil, with several ancillary fortifications (from north to south):
Along the southeast of the peninsula, towards the open ocean, the defense was manned by the small Forte da Quebrada, dominated by the Vigia da Baleia lookout, while on the west coast, ancillary fortifications extended another kilometre (from south to north):
Within the fort four cistern
s were constructed the arsenal and company of soldiers, including: the interior of the main castle (which alone had a capacity of 1,500 m³); another within the Fort of Santo António; in the interior of the Fort of Quebrada; and along the wall of the Zimbreiro Fort (where a grotto collects water annually).
Saint Philip
Saint Philip, São Filipe, or San Felipe may refer to:People* Saint Philip the Apostle* Saint Philip the Evangelist also known as Philip the Deacon* Saint Philip Neri* Saint Philip Benitius , from Florence, 13th century...
) is a historic fortress located in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo , locally referred to as Angra, is a municipality and city on the island of Terceira, within the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. The municipal area has a population of 35,581 and an area of . Along with Praia da Vitória to the north, it is one of two municipal...
in the south of the island of Terceira
Terceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
in the Azores, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
History
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
, Terceira, São Jorge, Faial
Faial Island
Faial Island , also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group of the Azores....
and Pico
Pico Island
Pico Island , is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores noted for its eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...
were vulernable to attacks by priates 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
John III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
(1521-1557) and Sebastian
Sebastian of Portugal
Sebastian "the Desired" was the 16th king of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Spain...
(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 UnionIberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
, 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
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
) and Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
(in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
) 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
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
(1580-1640), when, under command of Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquess of Santa Cruz
Marquess of Santa Cruz
-Brazil:*Romualdo Antônio de Seixas first and only Count and Marquess of Santa Cruz.-Portugal:The title was created by John V of Portugal under the decree of 1691:# Teresa de Moscoso Osório - first and only marquise of Santa Cruz-Spain:...
, King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
retook the island from the forces of António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato , was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal, claimant of the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic crisis, who was King of Portugal as António I of Portugal during 33 days in the continent in 1580, and, after the crowning of Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal,...
. With the start of Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604), it was strengthened as privateers, such as Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
(1587) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
, whose adjunct Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
, attacked the neighbouring settlement in Horta, during the summer of 1597. The new project served to two functions:
- to protect the port of Angra and the colonial fleet that sheltered in its waters, from assaults by Barbey coast pirates and English privateers, especially when ships from India and the Orient used the islands as a staging port for the return trip to the continent; and
- to garrison Spanish troops, in order to defend the island (which would be under the authority of the Marquess of Santa Cruz).
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
Presidio
A presidio is a fortified base established by the Spanish in North America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile native Americans and enemy colonists. Other presidios were held by Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth...
, 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
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
engineer Tibúrcio Spannochi 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 theFortaleza 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 cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
s (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 tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s.
Restoration
During the Portuguese RestorationPortuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
(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 arquebus
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
es, 400 musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s and their associated munitions.
With the recapture of the fort, it was rechristened to the invocation of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, homage to John IV of Portugal
John IV of Portugal
|-|John IV was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1640 to his death. He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, who had in 1580 claimed the Portuguese crown and sparked the struggle for the throne of Portugal. John was nicknamed John the Restorer...
; 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
Cult of the Holy Spirit
The Cult of the Holy Spirit is a religious sub-culture, inspired by Christian millenarian mystics, associated with Azorean Catholic identity, consisting of iconography, architecture, and religious practices that have continued in many communities of the archipelago as well as the broader...
was one of the richest in the city.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Father António Cordeiro
António Cordeiro
António Cordeiro was a Catholic priest in the Society of Jesus, Azorean historian, author of the classical chronicle Historia Insulana, and first to publish a public opinion on the form of governance for the archipelago of the Azores.-Biography:António was the sixth and final child of António...
, writing of the community Angra and the citadel within the Fortaleza de São João Baptista:
- "To the east there run many roads, or quarters of homes in rock and lime, of two-stories, and that can house 50 soldiers and ordinarily have 300 neighbours...The city of Angra has six parishes, (which includes the noble population that is in the great Castle, and which has a main chapel..."
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 Revolution (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
Portuguese real
The real was the unit of currency of Portugal from around 1430 until 1911. It replaced the dinheiro at the rate of 1 real = 840 dinheiros and was itself replaced by the escudo at a rate of 1 escudo = 1000 réis...
) for the government of the Prince Regent John
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
: 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
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
betweenPeter IV and his brother, Miguel
Miguel of Portugal
Dom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
, 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
Gungunhana
Ngungunyane, also known as Mdungazwe Ngungunyane Nxumalo, N'gungunhana, or Gungunhana Reinaldo Frederico Gungunhana, was a tribal king and vassal of the Portuguese Empire, who rebelled, was defeated by General Joaquim Mouzinho de Albuquerque and lived out the rest of his life in exile, first in...
, who was politically imprisoned within its walls until his death on 23 December 1906.
20th century
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
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
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
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
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 BrasilMonte Brasil
Monte Brasil is a peninsula located on the south coast of Terceira Island in the central Azores Islands, near the city of Angra do Heroísmo. Monte Brasil is flanked by two bays: Baía de Angra do Heroísmo to the east, from which the city's name is derived, and Baía do Fanal to the west....
, a volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
cone situated along the southern coast of Terceira, at the extreme tip of the city of Angra linked by a isthmus, on either side of which it is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and the bays of Fanal and Angra.
The actual structure covers an are of 3 km² and is constituted a principal nucleus with a 111.5 metre long curtain of walls (three bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s 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.
The five bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s that reinforce the wall at the isthmus are, from west to east:
- Bastion of Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine), over the cliffs of Fanal, with seven cannon and crowned by the Torreão dos Mosquitos (a rounded lookout) used as a forward sight for the location's batteries with its own gunpowder magazine. It is connected by two levels of embankments (with four emplacements) to the Bastion of São Pedro;
- Bastion of São Pedro (Saint PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
), to the left of the Portão de Armas (main portico), with 15 cannon emplacements. Supported by is own magazine, the bastion in 1766 defended attacks with six cannons to the left and seven to the right of the main door. - Bastion of Boa Nova (Good New), located along the São Pedro Bastion, contained 16 cannon, supported by two gunpowder magazines and the lookout at the Torreão da Bandeira (the lookout also served to hoist the imperial flag, hence its name). The bastion, which overlooks the Bay of Angra, was renamed (from a marble inscription on its battery) in the context of the Liberal WarsLiberal WarsThe Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
in honour of Peter IV of Portugal (Battery of Peter IV). Following this emplacement is the Battery of Maria II (similarly named in honour of Queen Maria IIafter the Liberal Wars), and later the Battery of Malaca which, at one time housed a bronze, 36-calibre cannon from the Fort of DiuDiu FortThe Diu Fort, is located on the west coast of India in Diu, a Union Territory, administered by the Government of India. The fort was built by the Portuguese during their colonial rule of the Diu island. The Diu town is located to the west of the fort...
(which was returned to Lisbon on 22 July 1771. From the Malaca Battery, by way of the arch of the Portão de Armas, a staircase descends to an old garden; and - Bastion of the Espírito Santo (Holy Spirit), which overlooks the Campo do Relvão, where were located four cannons and three gunpowder magazines (one in the middle and the other two on either angle), linked to a wall with six cannons and one magazine, that end;
- Bastion of Santa Luzia (Saint Lucy), with five cannons and one magazine, that extend to two descending walls (with its own cannon emplacement and magazine). In addition, by 1849, another gunpowder magazine, referred to as the Paiol Novo, was constructed. Also located in this bastion, was the building of the artillery laboratory, which was actually a replacement for an older, larger building that was destroyed in a violent fire on 7 May 1821, resulting in five deaths.
On the western flank of the fort, near the Santa Catarina Bastion and over the Bay of Fanal, there also exists the Arsenal Battery with five other cannon emplacements.
The Santa Luzia Bastion is also connected by the one kilometre long Santo António wall, along the eastern coast of Monte Brasil, with several ancillary fortifications (from north to south):
- Gate of Portinho Novo;
- Gate of Porta do Cais da Figueirinha;
- Redoubt of Dois Paus;
- Redoubt of São Francisco;
- Fort of São Benedito do Monte Brasil (also the Redoubt of Três Paus);
- Redoubt of Santo Inácio; and
- Fort of Santo António do Monte Brasil.
Along the southeast of the peninsula, towards the open ocean, the defense was manned by the small Forte da Quebrada, dominated by the Vigia da Baleia lookout, while on the west coast, ancillary fortifications extended another kilometre (from south to north):
- Constituição battery;
- Fort of São Diogo do Monte Brasil (also the Fort of Zimbreiro);
- Fidelidade battery]];
- Redoubt of General Saldanha;
- Redoubt of São Gonçalo;
- Redoubt of Santa Cruz;
- Redoubt of Santa Teresa; and the
- Cais do Castelo.
Within the fort four cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
s were constructed the arsenal and company of soldiers, including: the interior of the main castle (which alone had a capacity of 1,500 m³); another within the Fort of Santo António; in the interior of the Fort of Quebrada; and along the wall of the Zimbreiro Fort (where a grotto collects water annually).