Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo is a
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
located in
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
,
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
, Brazil.
It is variously known as the Forte da Capoeira, State Prison. The fort defended the northern limit of Salvador at its time of construction 17th century.
Early history
The fort was built at the site of a trench excavated by the Dutch during the
Dutch invasion of Brazil
The Dutch invasions in Brazil, ordered by the Dutch West India Company (WIC), occurred during the 17th century.
Considered the biggest political-military conflict in the Colonial Brazil, colony, the invasions were centered on the control of sugar ...
, specifically an invasion into Bahia between 1624 and 1625. The first fort of Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo was constructed by
Diogo Luís de Oliveira, the Count of Miranda and governor of the Captaincy of Bahia from 1627 to 1635. A full structure of stone and mortar was constructed from the late 17th to the early 18th century.
Prison
The Secretaria do Estado dos Negócios da Justiça (State Department of Justice) transformed the fort into a prison in 1830. It notably housed
Afro-Brazilian
Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see "Black people#Brazil, preto"). Most members of another group of people, Pardo Brazilians, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a ...
s captured at the end of the
Malê revolt
Male, in biology, is the half of a sex system that produces sperm cells.
* Male plant, a plant that gives rise to male gametophytes
Male may also refer to:
Gender
* Male, the gender of men and boys
** Man, a male adult
** Boy, a young male person ...
of 1835. The fort was renovated into the State Penitentiary of Bahia by the mid-20th century. It housed numerous
political prisoners
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although nu ...
during the
Brazilian dictatorship
The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dict ...
beginning in 1964; the military regime deactivated the prison in 1976. The inmates of the prison were transferred to the Regional Prison of Salvador (Presidio de Salvador) in the Mata Escura neighborhood of the city. The City of Salvador requested transfer of ownership of the structure from the Secretariat of Justice in 1978.
Forte da Capoeira
After a period of decline after the transfer of the fort to the City of Salvador the Ministry of Culture of Bahia began and elaborate restoration of the building into a multi-purpose cultural center. Etelvina Rebouças served as the architect beginning in 1990; the renovation was completed in 2006. As the facility had been used by a
capoeira
Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...
school since 1981, the renovated fort was renamed the Forte da Capoeira. It houses two schools of capoeira, one on the lower level, and one of the upper level. The facility also houses a small library and archive related to capoeira.
See also
*
Military history of Brazil
The military history of Brazil comprises centuries of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Brazil, and the role of the Brazilian Armed Forces in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For several hundreds of years, the area was the s ...
References
External links
Santo Antonio
Buildings and structures in Salvador, Bahia
Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil
{{Forts and fortresses of the Portuguese empire , state=collapsed