Fort of Cinco Ribeiras

The Fort of Cinco Ribeiras (Portuguese: Forte das Cinco Ribeiras), also known as the Fort of Nossa Senhora do Pilar or Fort of São Bartolomeu, ruins of a 16th-century fortification located in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, along the southeast coast of Terceira, Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

Fort of Cinco Ribeiras
Forte das Cinco Ribeiras
Terceira, Central, name=Azores in Portugal
A view of the eastern edge of the Fort of Cinco Ribeiras, along the coast
Coordinates38°40′32″N 27°19′44″W
TypeFort
Site information
OwnerPortuguese Republic
Open to
the public		Public
Site history
Built16th century
MaterialsBasalt

History
Tombo do Forte das Cinco Ribeiras, na freguesia de mesmo nome...", Ilha Terceira (Açores), Portugal.

This fort developed from a line of bastions, opened during the period of the Succession Crisis of 1580, between 1579 and 1581, order by the Corregedor of the Açores, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos from a defensive plan elaborated by Tommaso Benedetto.[1] The line served as coastal defences for consistent attacks by privateers and pirates, during this period of exploration and support of Atlantic colonies of North America.

The fort was raised in 1653, under the initiative of the municipal authority, who was preoccupied with pirate attacks, who was threatened by squadron of 40 to 50 ships.[2] The municipality also decided to collaborate with the Provisioner of Arms, for the defence of the island, owing to the possible invasion by Spanish during the Portuguese Restoration.[3]

During the War of Spanish Succession (1702-1714) the fort was referred to as "O Forte de Nossa Senhora do Pillar".[4]

At the time of the establishment of the Captaincy-General of the Azores, its state was reported, as:

36 - Fort of Our Lady of the Pillar. Need to concentrate on the door; it has six canon emplacements and we need to open another two. There are four capable, iron pieces and in good repair. Need two pieces for the two canon emplacements that should be opened up to garrison six artillery and 24 auxiliaries.[5]

It was referred to as "29. Fort of Cinco Ribeiras site of the parish of Santa Bárbara alongside Our Lady of the Pillar" in the report "Revista aos fortes que defendem a costa da ilha Terceira", of adjunct Manoel Correa Branco (1776), who referred to the repairs necessary: "This fort required rebuilding in the east, and the ceiling of the house, and the fort, in all the exterior area, broken, garrisoned and plastered."[6]

The plans for the fort, were identified in the Colecção de Plantas e Alçados de 32 Fortalezas dos Açores (Collection of Plans and Elevations of 32 Fortresses of the Azores) by José Rodrigo de Almeida in 1806.[7] The report of Marshall Baron of Bastos (1862) supported the notion that the fortifications were still viable over the centuries.[8] But, by 1881 the spaces were abandoned and in a state of ruin.[9]

In 1938, a process was opened to transfer the property to the Ministry of Finances, but, was suspended in 1941 during the context of World War II, when it was expropriated for military use. Its transfer was completed in 1965.

By the beginning of the 21st century, the fort was completely abandoned and in a precarious state of conservation.

Architecture
The basalt base of the Fort at the edge of the cliff

The fort is located over a dominant section of the beach, consisting of a fortification destined for the defence of the coastal anchorage, from pirates and privateers that frequented this region of the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated in an isolated basalt, arriba, originating from the volcanic eruption of the Santa Bárbara Massif, at sea level.

The polygonal bastion is adapted to the rock, constructed of masonry and rock, occupying an area of 210 square metres (2,300 sq ft).

The walls delimit a platform that includes one piece extending through the barbette. Internally is a powerhouse and the walls provided spots for fusiliers. The defence is complemented by another line of trenches, composed of masonry and mortar, that extend towards the east for 150 metres (490 ft).

References

Notes
  1. Francisco Drummond Anais da Ilha Terceira. tomo I, p.231
  2. Francisco Drummond Anais da Ilha Terceira. tomo I, p.124
  3. Manuel Baptista de Lima. Apontamentos inéditos.
  4. "Fortificações nos Açores existentes em 1710", Arquivo dos Açores (in Portuguese), p. 178, retrieved 8 December 2011
  5. Júdice (1767)
  6. "Revista aos Fortes que Defendem a costa da Ilha Terceira - 1776" (in Portuguese). IHIT. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  7. Prancha "Planta e alçado do Forte das Cinco Ribeiras, José Rodrigo de Almeida, 1806, Angra do Heroísmo, ilha Terceira, Açores". Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine in Arquipélagos.pt. Consultado em 31 dez 2011.
  8. Baron of Bastos (1997), p.267
  9. Damião Freire de Bettencourt Pego, "Tombos dos Fortes da Ilha Terceira"

Sources
  • Barão de Bastos (1997), "Relação dos fortes, Castellos e outros pontos fortificados que se achão ao prezente inteiramente abandonados, e que nenhuma utilidade tem para a defeza do Pais, com declaração d'aquelles que se podem desde ja desprezar", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira, LV, Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Portugal, pp. 267–271
  • Bettencourt Pego, Damião Freire de; Almeida Júnior, António Belo de (1996), "Tombos dos Fortes da Ilha Terceira", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira (in Portuguese), LIV, Direcção dos Serviços de Engenharia do Exército
  • Castelo Branco, António do Couto de; Ferrão, António de Novais (1981), "Memorias militares, pertencentes ao serviço da guerra assim terrestre como maritima, em que se contém as obrigações dos officiaes de infantaria, cavallaria, artilharia e engenheiros; insignias que lhe tocam trazer; a fórma de compôr e conservar o campo; o modo de expugnar e defender as praças, etc (1719)", Arquivo dos Açores, Universidade dos Açores, IV, pp. 178–181
  • Drummond, Francisco Ferreira (1981), Anais da Ilha Terceira (fac-simil. da ed. de 1859) (in Portuguese), Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Portugal: Secretaria Regional da Educação e Cultura
  • Faria, Manuel Augusto (4 May 1997), "Ilha Terceira – Fortaleza do Atlântico: Forte das Cinco Ribeiras", Diário Insular (in Portuguese)
  • Frutuoso, Gaspar, Jerónimo Cabral (ed.), Saudades da Terra (in Portuguese), VI, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal: Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada* Anónimo. "Colecção de todos os fortes da jurisdição da Villa da Praia e da jurisdição da cidade na Ilha Terceira, com a indicação da importância da despesa das obras necessárias em cada um deles (Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino)". in Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira, vol. LI-LII, 1993-1994.
  • Júdice, João António (1981), "Revista dos Fortes da Terceira", Arquivo dos Açores (in Portuguese), V, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal: Universidade dos Açores, pp. 359–363
  • Martins, José Salgado (2007), "Património Edificado da Ilha Terceira: o Passado e o Presente", Atlântida (in Portuguese), LII, p. 14
  • Mota, Valdemar (1993–1994), "Fortificação da Ilha Terceira", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira, LI–LII, Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira
  • Neves, Carlos; Carvalho, Filipe; Matos, Artur Teodoro de (1992), "Documentação sobre as Fortificações dos Açores existentes nos Arquivos de Lisboa – Catálogo", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira (in Portuguese), L
  • Vieira, Alberto (1987), "Da poliorcética à fortificação nos Açores: introdução ao estudo do sistema defensivo nos Açores nos séculos XVI-XIX", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira, XLV, tomo II, Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira
  • "Revista aos Fortes que Defendem a Costa da Ilha Terceira – 1776 (Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino)", Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira (in Portuguese), LVI, 1998
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