The Fort São João Baptista of Ibo (''Fortaleza de São João Baptista do Ibo'' in Portuguese) is one of the forts built by the
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...
on
Ibo Island,
Cabo Delgado Province
Cabo Delgado is the northernmost province of Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 2,320,261 (2017). As well as bordering Mtwara Region in the neighboring country of Tanzania, it borders the provinces of Nampula and Niassa. The reg ...
in
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
.
History
Located by the sea, unusually shaped like a poligon star, the fort was designed by António José Teixeira Tigre. It was constructed between 1789 and 1795. It contains service buildings, capable of housing 300 men and was equipped with 15 artillery pieces. It helped the Portuguese on Ibo resist pirate attacks from the
Sakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic groups of Madagascar, ethnic group of Madagascar. They are found on the western and northwest region of the island, in a band along the coast. The Sakalava are one of the smaller ethnic groups, constituting about 6.2 pe ...
of
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. A chapel was added in 1795. It was classified as a historical monument in 1962. It was restored the following year.
The fort was used as a prison during the
Estado Novo regime.
The fort was used to shelter families whose homes were destroyed by the
hurricane Kenneth The name Kenneth has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and one in the South-West Indian Ocean.
In the Eastern Pacific:
* Hurricane Kenneth (1993) – Category 4 hurricane that did not affect land.
* Hurricane Ke ...
in 2019.
''Dias passam e revelam destruição no continente e ilha do Ibo''
in observador.pt
Due to its size, design and construction quality, it is considered the second fortress in Mozambique, after Fort São Sebastião
The Fort of São Sebastião lies at the northern end of Stone Town on the Island of Mozambique. It is the oldest complete fort still standing in sub-Saharan Africa. Construction by the Portuguese began in 1558, and it took about fifty years t ...
on Mozambique Island
The Island of Mozambique ( pt, Ilha de Moçambique) lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay, and is part of Nampula Province. Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. With its ric ...
. It is one of three forts erected on Ibo Island, alongside the smaller forts ''São José'' and ''Santo António''.
Gallery
File:Fortaleza de São João Batista do Ibo.jpg, Courtyard of the fort.
File:Fortress Guns (33309765284).jpg, Gun emplacements.
File:Museu Maritimo (34159074685).jpg, Maritime Museum, within the fort.
See also
* Portuguese Mozambique
Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colony. Portuguese Moz ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort São João Baptista (Ibo)
18th-century fortifications
Forts in Mozambique
Portuguese forts
Buildings and structures in Cabo Delgado Province
Tourist attractions in Cabo Delgado Province
Portuguese colonial architecture in Mozambique