The Fortaleza do Monte (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

for ''Mount Fortress'', also ''Monte Forte''; officially ''Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de São Paulo'', in en, Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul; ;

Cantonese Yale The Yale romanization of Cantonese was developed by Gerard P. Kok for his and Parker Po-fei Huang's textbook ''Speak Cantonese'' initially circulated in looseleaf form in 1952 but later published in 1958. Unlike the Yale romanization of Manda ...

: ''daaih paau yìh'') is a fort in

Santo António Santo António (Portuguese for Saint Anthony), also known as Santo António do Príncipe, is the main settlement of the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies on the north east coast. It is the capital of the Autonomous Reg ...

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

. It is the historical military centre of Macau. The fort forms part of the "

Historic Centre of Macau The Historic Centre of Macao, pt, Centro Histórico de Macau, , is a collection of over twenty locations that witness the unique assimilation and co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau, a former Portuguese colony. It represents ...

" and is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The fort was built between 1617 and 1626 on the 52-metre tall Mount Hill, located directly east of the Ruins of Saint Paul's. It was constructed to protect the properties of the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

(mainly Portuguese Jesuits) in Macau, especially from pirates. Later, the fort was taken over by the Portuguese colonial

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and the relevant authorities for the defence of Macau. The fort occupies an area of roughly 8,000 square metres. Thirty-two muzzle-loading cannon were placed around the fort's walls, and the two corners of the southeastern fort wall have small watchtowers. The fort proved crucial in successfully holding off the attempted Dutch invasion of Macau in 1622. The fort remained a restricted military area until 1965 when the barracks in the fort were converted into a weather observatory and the fort was opened to the public. The observatory ceased its function and was relocated to

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; pt, Taipa, ) was a former island in Macau, presently united with the island of Coloane by reclaimed land known as Cotai. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil parish Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do ...

in 1996 before it was demolished to make way for the

Museum of Macau The Macau Museum (; pt, Museu de Macau) is located on the hill of the Fortaleza do Monte in Santo António, Macau, China. The museum presents the history of the city and territory of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, now a Special Adminis ...

, which was officially opened on 19 April 1998. The tree-covered park at the top of the fort has a panoramic view of the mainland area of Macau. Apart from being a fortress, it has served various functions: * The first residence of the governors of Macau (in 1623 and in 1740). * The base for two companies of the Portuguese Prince Regent Battalion to act as a police force from 1810 to 1841. * A weather observatory of the Meteorological Department of Portuguese Macau (from 1966 to 1996). * The Museum of Macau (1998 to present).

Gallery

Image:Reflecting pool by the main building of Fortaleza do Monte, Macau - 20080114.jpg, A reflecting pool by the main fortress building (the site of the Museum of Macau). Image:Cannons line the fortress walls.jpg, Replica cannon from 1860 line the walls of the fortress. Image:Monte Fonte.JPG, The garden of the current Fortaleza do Monte.

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Mount Fortress
- Macau World Heritage website by the Cultural Affairs Bureau Buildings and structures completed in 1626 Forts in Macau Portuguese forts Historic Centre of Macau Urban public parks in Macau Landmarks in Macau Portuguese Macau Chinese architectural history 1626 establishments in China 1626 establishments in the Portuguese Empire 17th-century establishments in Macau Portuguese colonial architecture in China {{PRChina-struct-stub

Gallery

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