Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra 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 was constructed to guard the entrance to the

Bay of All Saints The Bay of All Saints ( pt, Baía de Todos os Santos), also known as All Saints' Bay and Todos os Santos Bay, is the principal bay of the Brazilian state of Bahia, to which it gave its name. It sits on the eastern coast of Brazil, surrounding pa ...

, during the time of 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 ...

. The first Portuguese fortification erected in Bahia was likely built in 1501, in the same area now occupied by the Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra. The

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

of that first fortification was placed in an area called ''Ponta do Padrão'', now known as the Largo do Farol da Barra, the broad

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

in front of the fort. The fort also houses the -high

Barra Lighthouse The Barra Lighthouse ( pt, Farol da Barra) also known as the Santo Antônio Lighthouse ( pt, Farol de Santo Antônio), is a lighthouse in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located at the tip of the Padrão, now the Point of Santo Antônio, to the e ...

and the Nautical Museum of Bahia. The Santo Antônio da Barra Fort is protected as a historic structures by the

National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register and ...

History

In 1549, in order to solve the governance problem of his South American colonies, King

John III of Portugal John III ( pt, João III ; 7 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious (Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1521 until his death in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the thi ...

established the

Governorate General of Brazil The Governorate General of Brazil (''Governo-Geral do Brasil'') was a colonial administration of the Portuguese Empire in present-day Brazil. A governorate was equivalent in status to a viceroyalty, though the title viceroy didn't come into use un ...

. The eighth Governor General,

Manoel Teles Barreto Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

(served 1583-1587), had a more substantive fortification built at the site. That structure, likely of rammed earth, was in the shape of an octagon. The tenth Governor General, Francisco de Souza (served 1591-1602), reinforced the fortification with stone and mortar; its design was similar to the 16th-century

Small Fort of Our Lady of Monserrate Small may refer to: Science and technology * SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language * Small (anatomy), the lumbar region of the back * ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication * <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text ...

. In 1621, King

Philip II of Portugal Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...

divided the Governorate General of Brazil into two states, with the site of the Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra located in the northern of the two, the State of Maranhão. Governor General

João de Lencastre João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * J ...

(served 1694-1702) altered the plan of the site, hiring the military engineer

José Paes Esteves José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

to convert the fortification into a star-shaped polygon. A lighthouse was placed in the fort in the same period.

Barra Lighthouse

The Barra Lighthouse ( pt, Farol da Barra), also known as the Santo Antônio Lighthouse ( pt, Farol de Santo Antônio), was built in the center of the fort in the 17th century. The primitive structure was replaced in 1839 by a structure built in England. It was dedicated by

Dom Pedro II Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...

of Brazil. The lighthouse is a -high tapered tower constructed of masonry and painted with black and white bands.

Protected status

The Santo Antônio da Barra Fort is protected as a historic structures by the

. The fort and lighthouse were listed as a historic structure in 1938.

Access

The Santo Antônio da Barra Fort is open to the public and may be visited.

References

External links