The Fort Santa Apolónia (''Forte de Santa Apolónia''), also known as Santa Apolónia Bulwark (''Baluarte de Santa Apolónia'' in Portuguese) or Battery of Manique (''Bateria do Manique''), is located in the parish of

Penha de França Penha de França () is a (civil parish) and typical Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. Located in the historic center of Lisbon, Penha de França is north of São Vicente, Lisbon, São Vicente, east of ...

, municipality and District of

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

History

The fort was built between 1652 and 1668, during the

Portuguese Restoration War The Restoration War (), historically known as the Acclamation War (''Guerra da Aclamação''), was the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, bringing a forma ...

against Spain, but never finished. It was part of a planned ring of small forts or "bulwarks" (''baluartes'' in Portuguese) around Lisbon, of which only four were built: ''Santa Apolónia'', ''Sacramento'', ''Livramento'' and Cruz da Pedra Fort.Mariana Marin Diniz Aires Ferreira
''O Forte de Santa Apolónia: Diagnóstico e propostas de intervenção''
2017, p.3, at jf-penhadefrança.pt Built on grounds belonging to the Viscount of Manique, at an undetermined time, the loss of its defensive function meant that the old fort was annexed into the grounds of Manique Estate, (who had two 17th century stonework gates built''Forte ou Baluarte de Santa Apolónia''
at informacoeseservicos.lisboa.pt) and, later, to the counts of São Vicente. In 1945, the remains of ''Santa Apolónia'' were owned by the firm George & H. Hall Limited. The set is classified as a Property of Public Interest by Decree of 6 March 1996. It awaits the implementation of a preservation and restoration project commissioned by the Lisbon city council, to the ''Associação dos Amigos dos Castelos'', which foresees the recovery of the wall and two guardhouses, the excavation of the land to remove the rubble and a landscaping intervention in order to preserve the fort, transforming it into a park where the privileged landscape over the Tagus can be appreciated. In addition, the project suggested the creation of a playground, a cafeteria, in addition to the use of one of the three basements of the Concorde building, a 12-storey residential building built inside the fort for the installation of an equipment, such as a library.

Features

The fort, in the eastern sector of the city, stands a dominant position over the Tagus River, is currently inscribed in an inhabited area, in an area lacking in green spaces. Originally pentagonal in plan, its flanks are well marked and the wall, which follows the slope of the land, is made of masonry with limestone stone corners and the bases of two guardhouses, also having two 17th century gates built by the Viscount of Manique, with the left giving access to the viewpoint, and crowning the walls are exterior masonry guards, gun enplacements interspersed with stone pedestals.

References

{{Bastion forts in Portugal, state=collapsed Forts in Portugal Coastal fortifications in Portugal Fortifications in Lisbon