Fort of Santa Catarina
Encyclopedia
The Fort of Santa Catarina (in Portuguese: Forte de Santa Catarina, or sometimes Fortaleza de Santa Catarina de Ribamar) is in the municipality/concelho
of Portimão
in the Algarve in Portugal
.
Map location: 37°08′N 8°32′W
On a height of land at the extreme east of Praia da Rocha
, this fort defended the local settlements and the estuary
of the Rio Arade
, in conjunction with the Forte de São João do Arade
on the opposite bank of the river in Ferragudo
.
; inside the fort there still exists an early Gothic door from the shrine.
The fortification suffered major damage during the 1755 Earthquake
.
Today the fort is used as a recreational site for tourists who stay in Praia da Rocha
and the nearby marina of Portimão.
Concelho
Concelho , in the Portuguese language, is the word municipality, when referring to the territory. The word município is used when municipality means the organ of State...
of Portimão
Portimão
Portimão is a Portuguese town located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimão. The town has 41,000 inhabitants and the Portimão...
in the Algarve in 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...
.
Map location: 37°08′N 8°32′W
On a height of land at the extreme east of Praia da Rocha
Praia da Rocha
Praia da Rocha is the beach and built up area on the Atlantic Ocean which is the southern section of the municipality/concelho of Portimão, Algarve, southern Portugal....
, this fort defended the local settlements and the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Rio Arade
Arade
The Arade is a river located in the region of the Algarve, southern Portugal. the river's course takes it through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão. The source of the river lies to the southwest of the Serra do Caldeirão mountain ridge, in a valley called Barranco do Pé do Coelho....
, in conjunction with the Forte de São João do Arade
Fort of São João do Arade
The Fort of São João do Arade is located in the Algarve in the town and civil parish/freguesia of Ferragudo, in the municipality/concelho of Lagoa, in Portugal.Map location: Situated in a dominant position at the mouth of the Rio...
on the opposite bank of the river in Ferragudo
Ferragudo
Ferragudo is a Portuguese civil parish at the western border of the municipality of Lagoa Municipality, covering an area of 5.41 km² and encompassing a small population of 1867 inhabitants...
.
History
The fortification was ordered built during the reign of King Philip III (who was also King Philip IV of Spain). The site was already occupied by a shrine dedicated to Santa Catarina de AlexandriaCatherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
; inside the fort there still exists an early Gothic door from the shrine.
The fortification suffered major damage during the 1755 Earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
.
Today the fort is used as a recreational site for tourists who stay in Praia da Rocha
Praia da Rocha
Praia da Rocha is the beach and built up area on the Atlantic Ocean which is the southern section of the municipality/concelho of Portimão, Algarve, southern Portugal....
and the nearby marina of Portimão.