Fort of São Tiago

Fortaleza de São Tiago
	Portuguese: Fortaleza de São Tiago
	Santa Maria Maior (Funchal), Madeira
	Fortaleza de São Tiago
Coordinates	32°38′48.0″N 16°53′54.9″W
Site information
Controlled by	Portuguese Empire (1512-1961)
Open to; the public	Yes
Site history
Built	1614
Materials	Brick and Stone fort

The Fort of São Tiago (Portuguese: Fortaleza de São Tiago) is located in the historical centre (Zona Velha) of Funchal, Madeira.

Fort of São Tiago, Funchal.

Fort of São Tiago: Door of arms.

History

Originally built to protect the coast from piracy during the 16th-17th century during the reign of Philip I of Portugal. The Fort has been used for many purposes including housing British troops during the Peninsular War, the military police and the Funchal Lancers Squad at different times. It also sheltered victims of the 1803 floods that occurred on the island.[1]

On June 24 1901 King Carlos I of Portugal and his wife (Amélie of Orléans) visited the Fort and had lunch in a tent set up within the fort. Improvements were made prior to his visit.[2][3]

From 1992 to 2014 it was the contemporary Art Museum of Funchal (now Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Madeira in Estreito da Calheta).

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] ttp://www.visitfunchal.pt/en/culture-and-heritage/monuments/item/460-s%C3%A3o-tiago-fortress.html

[2] ttp://cultura.madeira-edu.pt/museus/Museums/MuseumofContemporaryArtFortressS%C3%A3oTiago/tabid/228/language/en-US/Default.aspx

[3] ttp://fortalezas.org/index.php?ct=fortaleza&id_fortaleza=609&muda_idioma=PT