São Marcelo Fort
| São Marcelo Fort | |
|---|---|
Forte de Nossa Senhora do Pópulo e São Marcelo | |
| Salvador, Bahia in Brazil | |
 Aerial view of São Marcelo Fort | |
  São Marcelo Fort | |
| Coordinates | 12°58′16″S 38°31′04″W / 12.9712°S 38.517778°W |
| Type | Fort |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Good |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1608–1623 |
National Historic Heritage of Brazil | |
| Designated | 1938 |
| Reference no. | 155 |
São Marcelo Fort (
History
The fort was designed and construction started in 1608 under Francisco Frias Mosque. The first documentary evidence of the fort is in a city plan of Salvador title Planta da Cidade do Salvador, na Baía de Todos os Santos, which dates to 1616. The fort was completed in 1623 during the rule of Governor General Diogo de Mendonça Furtado; it was constructed entirely of wood with 19 artillery pieces of various calibers.[4][5][2][3]
The fort was a primary target of the Dutch in 1624 during the
A reconstruction of the fort was ordered in 1650 by Governor-General João Rodrigues de Vasconcelos e Sousa (1649-1654) after the Portuguese Restoration War. This period of building saw the construction of a turret at the highest point of the sand bar; it stands at 15 metres (49 ft). A further reconstruction in 1728 saw the appearance of a wall around the perimeter of the fort. By 1759 it was reported to have 54 protective plates of bronze and iron. It became part of a string of forts protecting the south of Salvador; the São Marcelo fort was placed between the Small Fort of Our Lady of Monserrate to the north and the Fort of Saint Peter and the São Paulo da Gamboa Battery to the south.[4][1][5][2][3]
The fort served as a political prison in the 19th century. It held members of a local republican rebellion movement, the Federation of the Guanais, also known as the Revolt of the Guanais, in 1833. It later held Bento Gonçalves (1788-1847), a rebel leader of the Ragamuffin War. Gonçalves was transferred to the fort on August 26, 1837, but escaped a month later. Gonçalves spent time after his imprisonment at the fort in Salvador and Itaparica Island. The fort then held members of the Sabinada (1837–1838), a Bahian revolt that called for the abolition of slavery and the redistribution of land. Approximately 200 participants of the Malê revolt, a slave revolt of 1835, were held at the fort until their trial. The enslaved Africans and freedmen were subsequently executed, tortured, or deported to Africa.[6][1]
In popular culture
In 2008, the location served as the first pit stop of the 13th season of the American installment of The Amazing Race.
Protected status
The São Marcelo Fort was listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in 1938. The structure was registered under the Book of Historical Works, Inscription 49 and Book of Fine Arts, Inscription 273-A. The directive is dated May 24, 1938.[7]
Access
The fort is closed to the public due to construction works. It opened to the public in 2006 after a long period of restoration, but closed again in 2018.[2]
Gallery
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Aerial View of the Fort -
Fort View -
Entrance to the Fort -
Fort viewed from the Sea -
Inside the Fort
References
- ^ a b c Secretaria da Indústria, Comércio e Turismo (Bahia, Brazil) (1997). IPAC-BA: inventário de proteção do acervo cultural. Vol. 1 (3 ed.). Salvador, Brazil: Secretaria da Indústria e Comércio. pp. 137–138.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e Teixeira, Paulo Roberto Rodrigues (2008). "Forte de São Marcelo". Revista da Cultura (in Portuguese). 13 (7): 52–63.
- ^ a b c d "The Battery at a Fort in Bahia". World Digital Library. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "Forte de São Marcelo". Portuguese. www.iphan.gov.br. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "Forte de São Marcelo". Portuguese. fortalezas.org. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ Ignace, Etienne (1970). "A Revolta dos Malés". Afro-Asia. 1970 (10–11): 121–135. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ISBN 9788520800577.