Fort of the Maré
The Fort of the Maré (Portuguese: Forte da Maré), ruins of a 16th-century fortification located in the civil parish São Mateus da Calheta, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, along the southern coast of Terceira, Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
| Fort of the Maré | |
|---|---|
Forte da Maré | |
| Terceira, Central, name=Azores in Portugal | |
  Fort of the Maré Location of the fort within the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo | |
| Coordinates | 38°43′52.97″N 27°3′1.25″W |
| Type | Fort |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| Operator | Junta de Freguesia da São Mateus da Calheta |
| Open to the public | Public |
| Site history | |
| Built | 16th century |
| Materials | Basalt |
History
Its construction remotes from the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580, sometime between 1579 and 1581, when attacks by pirates in the mid-Atlantic threatened the safety and security of New World treasure ships.[1] The Corregedor of the Azores, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos initiated the construction of several forts that ringed the coasts of Terceira, using the plans of Italian military engineer Tommaso Benedetto as its basis.
Architecture
The fortification dominated the coastal stretch of São Mateus.
By the end of the 20th century there little more than ruins of this fortification, and the remains of its foundations.
References
Notes
- Junta Freguesia, ed. (July–December 2010). "Uma História de São Mateus" (PDF) (in Portuguese). São Mateus da Calheta (Azores), Portugal: Junta Freguesia de São Mateus da Calheta. p. 3. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
Sources
- Vierira, Alberto (1987), "Da poliorcética à fortificação nos Açores: introdução ao estudo do sistema defensivo nos Açores nos séculos XVI-XIX", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira (in Portuguese), XLV, tomo II, Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira
