The Fort of Santiago do Outão is a former coastal

military installation A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

Setúbal Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the ti ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

that is currently the site of the Hospital Ortopédico Sant'Iago do Outão. The fort is located on the Costa Azul at the northern side of the

Sado River The river Sado () is a river in southern Portugal; it is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a northerly direction (the only major Portuguese river to do so) through from its springs in the hills of Ourique before entering the A ...

's mouth.

History

The oldest identified structure at Outão is a lighthouse and watchtower at the mouth of the Sado River that was erected by João I in 1390. In 1572, during the reign of Sebastião I, the watchtower underwent a major expansion and was surrounded by fortified walls and transformed into a fortress by

Afonso Álvares Afonso Álvares (also spelled Affonso Álvares) was the Master of Works for the Portuguese king, Sebastian of Portugal, and he designed, amongst other structures, the Monastery of São Bento in Lisbon in 1571, which was lost in the 1755 Lisbon ea ...

. The fort withstood a siege by the

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes ( es, Duque de Alba de Tormes), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by ...

during the

Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 The Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 ( pt, Crise de sucessão de 1580) came about as a result of the deaths of young King Sebastian I of Portugal in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578 and his successor and great-uncle Henry I in 1580. As ...

. Santiago do Outão remained loyal to Philip III until December 8, 1640, during the Portuguese Restoration War. The fort underwent a remodeling during the reign of

João IV John IV ( pt, João, ; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), nicknamed John the Restorer ( pt, João, o Restaurador), was the King of Portugal whose reign, lasting from 1640 until his death, began the Portuguese restoration of independence from ...

beginning in 1643 in order to provide better defenses at the entrance to Setúbal's port. The fort's reconstruction was completed by 1657. In the 19th century, the fort was decommissioned and transformed into a prison. By 1890, Santiago do Outão was again transformed, this time into a summer palace for

Carlos I Carlos I may refer to: *Carlos I of Spain (1500–1558), also Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire *Carlos I of Portugal (1863–1908), King of Portugal *Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, ...

. From 1900 until 1909, the fort was utilized as a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

for the treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. Finally, the compound was converted into the Hospital Ortopédico Sant'Iago do Outão in 1909 which it remains as to the present day.

References

{{Bastion forts in Portugal, state=collapsed Santiago do Outão Setúbal Buildings and structures completed in 1572

History

See also

References