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 was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...
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). It borders the Mtwara Region in the neighbouring country of Tanzania, and the provinces of Nampula and Niassa.
The Province is ri ...
in
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
.
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 group of Madagascar. They are primarily found on the western edge of Madagascar from Toliara in the south to the Sambirano River in the north. The Sakalava constitute about 6.2 percent of the total population, or abou ...
of
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
. 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 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 on Mozambique Island
The Island of Mozambique () 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 rich history and sandy ...
. 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 () or Portuguese East Africa () were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese overseas province. Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a str ...
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