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The Fort of the Church São Mateus da Calheta (Portuguese: Forte da Igreja de São Mateus da Calheta), also referred to as the Forte da Igreja (Church Fort or Fort of the Church), are the coastal ruins of a 16th-century fort situated in the civil parish of São Mateus da Calheta, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, on the Portuguese island of Terceira, in the archipelago of the Azores. It was destroyed, along with the church, in 1893 during a cyclone; while the church was eventually reconstructed some years later (the parochial Church of São Mateus da Calheta), the fort was abandoned and left to ruin.
The Fort of São Mateus was one of the first bastions constructed during the context of the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580, authorized by then-magistrate Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos, under the plans for the island elaborated by Tommaso Benedetto de Pesaro in 1567. This followed an attack by French corsair Pierre Bertrand de Montluc on Funchal (in October 1566), and a tentative attempt during the same year on Angra (which had been repelled):
Drummond later recorded:
It was there, during the history of the parish of São Mateus, that the carracks found landfall on their return from the Indies, in search of the port of Angra. [2]
During the War of the Spanish Succession (1702–1714) the fort was referred to as the Redoubt of São Mateus (Portuguese : O Reduto de S. Matheus), in report dated 1710. [3]
With the establishment of the Captaincy-General of the Azores, an evaluation of the fort, in 1767, found:
A codex to this analysis was provided by adjunte Manoel Correa Branco (in 1776) who indicated that no public works were necessary. [5]
During the Liberal War, the fort continued to be an important strategic fortification, its plan formalized in the collection of plans developed by José Rodrigo de Almeida, in the Gabinete de Estudos de Arquitetura e Engenharia Militar (Cabinet for Architectural Studies and Military Engineering), in Lisbon. [6]
Yet, a report by Field Marshal Barão de Bastos in 1862 indicated that the fort was incapable of any activities for several years. [7]
In 1881, the fort was inspected by lieutenant engineer António Belo de Almeida Júnior, who found the structure in good condition, although he noted that the barriers were inconsistent and only protected by the walls that surrounded it. [8]
On 28 August 1893 a cyclone or exceptional summer storm resulted in the destruction of many of the buildings on the island, including the fort and its neighbouring church. Its abandon was almost complete, and over time its strategic importance and lack of reconstruction meant that that fort fell into ruin: it did not survive into the modern epoch.
Located on a dominant position over a stretch of the coast west of Angra do Heroísmo, it was situated in a cove that allowed easy offloading of provisions to the island. The fortification was used to defend the anchorage from attacks by pirates and corsairs, that frequented the waters of the mid-Atlantic. It was constructed between the Fort of Negrito and Fort of the Terreiro, providing an important crossfire position some 22 metres (72 ft) in front of the old Church of São Mateus of Calheta, from which it derived its name.
A baluarte, the fort was of small dimensions with a trapezoidal plan, occupying an area of approximately 204 metres (669 ft).
Within its brickwork walls, were four cannon emplacements, two central, while the remaining cannon emplacements guarded the lateral flanks, yet not parallel. Between the emplacements are bunks for fuzilheres. On the eastern end of the structure was a small building that acted as a powder magazine and storehouse.
Access to the fort occurred across a public road, by a 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) ramp until the main gate and walls
Angra do Heroísmo, or simply Angra, is a city and municipality on Terceira Island, Portugal, and one of the three capital cities of the Azores. Founded in 1478, Angra was historically the most important city in the Azores, as seat of the Bishop of the Azores, government entities, and having previously served as the capital city of Portugal during the Liberal Wars. The population in 2011 was 35,402, in an area of 239.00 km². It was classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1983.
São Mateus da Calheta is a civil parish within the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 3,757, in an area of 5.98 km2. It is located on the periphery of the urbanized area of the city of Angra do Heroísmo, and developed from a small fishing port in a bay along the volcanic coast of the island.
The Fortress of 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.
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The Fort of Negrito is a 16th-century maritime fort situated in the civil parish of São Mateus da Calheta, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira, Azores, Portugal.
Fortress of 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.
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The Fort of the Caninas, is a medieval fort situated in the Portugueses civil parish of Porto Judeu, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, in the archipelago Azores.
Fort of the Cavalas is a fort situated in the civil parish of São Sebastião in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
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The Três Paus redoubt is a redoubt fortification situated on the peninsula of Monte Brasil, in the civil parish of Sé, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Part of the fortified defenses of the Fortress of São João Baptista, it was also known as the Fort/Redoubt of Benedict the Moor.
Fort of Santa Cruz, is a 16th-century fortification located in the civil parish of Angústias, municipality of Horta, on the island of Faial in the Portuguese Azores. Occasionally referred to as the Castelo de Santa Cruz by locals, it is situated in the historic centre of the city, on the edge of Horta Bay. It was constructed to work in conjunction with the Fort of Bom Jesus at the mouth of the Ribeira da Conceição and Fort of Greta along the coast of the extinct spatter cone Monte da Guia, to defend the entrance to the harbour and southern access to the Bay.
The Fort of Greta is a medieval fortification, whose remnants are located on the cinder cone of Monte da Guia, along the southern coast of the civil parish of Angústias, in Horta, island of Faial, in the Portuguese Azores.
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