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 is located in Terceira
Fort of the Maré
Fort of the Maré
Location of the fort within the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo
Coordinates38°43′52.97″N 27°3′1.25″W / 38.7313806°N 27.0503472°W / 38.7313806; -27.0503472
TypeFort
Site information
OwnerPortuguese Republic
OperatorJunta de Freguesia da São Mateus da Calheta
Open to
the public
Public
Site history
Built16th century
MaterialsBasalt

History

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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

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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

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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

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  • 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), vol. XLV, tomo II, Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira