Forte de São João Baptista da Foz (Porto)
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Faits Clés
- Forteresse historique à l'embouchure du fleuve Douro à Porto.
- Offre des vues sur le fleuve, la mer et la côte atlantique.
- Sa construction originale remonte à 1570, sous le règne de Sébastien Ier.
- A joué un rôle crucial dans la défense côtière et fluviale de la ville.
- A été le théâtre de moments importants de l'histoire portugaise, notamment la guerre péninsulaire et le siège de Porto.
- La poétesse Florbela Espanca a vécu dans le fort en 1921.
Météo
À Porto
Le Fort de São João Baptista da Foz, également connu sous le nom de Château de São João da Foz ou de Forteresse de Foz do Douro, se dresse dans l'un des lieux les plus symboliques de Porto : l'embouchure du Douro, là où le fleuve rejoint l'Atlantique. Sa position dominante explique sa vocation première, protéger l'accès fluvial à la ville et surveiller une entrée maritime essentielle du nord du Portugal.
Entre le Douro et l'Atlantique
Le site vaut autant pour son histoire que pour son cadre. Le fort se trouve à Foz do Douro, près du Jardim do Passeio Alegre, avec de larges vues sur le fleuve, la mer et le front côtier. C'est une halte intéressante pour comprendre le lien de Porto avec la navigation, la défense du littoral et le paysage atlantique de la ville.
Plusieurs couches d'histoire
L'origine de la fortification remonte au règne de Sébastien Ier. Les travaux commencèrent en 1570 et la première structure est associée au maître des fortifications Simão de Ruão. L'ensemble intégrait d'anciennes constructions religieuses liées aux bénédictins de Santo Tirso et se trouvait près d'une église Renaissance et d'un palais abbatial promus par Miguel da Silva, avec un projet attribué à Francesco de Cremona.
Après la Restauration de l'indépendance portugaise, au XVIIe siècle, la défense de la côte devint plus urgente. L'ingénieur français Charles Lassart conçut une refonte plus robuste, adaptée aux besoins militaires de l'époque, et les travaux furent confiés à l'architecte bénédictin João Turriano. Le fort fut agrandi avec des bastions et une organisation destinée à concentrer l'artillerie principalement du côté terrestre.
De l'usage militaire au patrimoine
Le fort est lié à plusieurs moments importants de l'histoire portugaise. En 1808, pendant la guerre péninsulaire, le drapeau portugais y fut hissé dans l'un des premiers gestes de réaction contre l'occupation napoléonienne. Plus tard, durant le siège de Porto, il contribua à protéger le débarquement de ravitaillement destiné aux forces libérales.
Avec l'évolution de l'artillerie et des navires, sa fonction défensive perdit progressivement de son importance. Le lieu fut ensuite utilisé comme prison politique et resta associé à des épisodes tels que la détention de jésuites au XVIIIe siècle. Au XXe siècle, il acquit aussi un lien inattendu avec la littérature : la poétesse Florbela Espanca vécut dans le fort en 1921 avec son mari, officier de la garnison.
À observer
Malgré les transformations, on perçoit encore l'échelle défensive de l'ensemble, son implantation stratégique sur l'embouchure du Douro et des éléments comme le portail néoclassique construit à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. Classé Immeuble d'Intérêt Public depuis 1967, le Fort de São João Baptista da Foz reste une visite intéressante pour le patrimoine militaire, l'histoire de Porto et les vues sur la mer.
Comme il ne fonctionne pas comme un monument touristique conventionnel, il est préférable de confirmer les conditions de visite à l'avance, surtout pour les groupes.
Sobre Porto
L'Invicta, ville patrimoine mondial avec son centre historique riverain. Capitale du Nord, célèbre pour le vin de Porto, ses ponts et la francesinha.
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One of many forts in the area. Highlights for this one include it being free to enter, nice landscaping, and excellent location. This fort operates as a city park this is free (no cost) to enter. The landscaping inside and outside the perimeter wall is well manicured—it looks so nice. While many forts in town provide views of one or the other, this fort provides views of both the ocean and the Douro Rover as it flows into the Atlantic. On our visit, we were able to freely walk nearly the entire property which included a few rooms inside, much of the upper parapet, moat areas, and an exterior courtyard within the perimeter wall. It was not crowded at all—I think we only saw two other people on our early morning, weekday visit. Again, there are several of these forts in town, but I think this was my favorite.
Great Fort, lots of things to see. It is free to get in. Lovely views on a clear day. Well worth 30 to 60 minutes to look around.
It was quite a walk from downtown Porto, but well worth it! The fort itself is small, but free to wander in and the ruins of the church inside were very interesting. We stopped at a couple of botanical gardens along the way that were very enjoyable as well. Seeing where the Douro joins the Atlantic was a great addition to the other sites we saw while in Porto.
The abbot of Santo Tirso monastery and bishop of Viseu, Dom Miguel da Silva, had a church and abbots residence built where the fort now stands, for which he resorted to the services of the Italian architect Francesco de Cremona. Together with the São Miguel-o-Anjo Lighthouse (completed in 1527 a few hundred meters away from the fort), they were the first manifestations of Renaissance architecture in Northern Portugal). The fort was commissioned in 1567, one year after an attack by French pirates on Madeira.[1] Construction of the fort began during the reign of King Sebastian (1557–1578), in 1570, and took eight years, under the supervision of João Gomes da Silva, a diplomat and trusted man of the Court and designed by the master of fortifications Simão de Rouen, son of Jean de Rouen, it consisted of a simple bastioned structure, surrounding the old medieval structures of the hospice, monastery, and the church of the Benedictines of Santo Tirso. With the War of Restoration of independence, the remodeling of the fort was deemed necessary. Fearing a Spanish invasion along the northern border of the kingdom, King John IV (1640–56) dispatched the new Chief Engineer of the Kingdom, the French Charles Lassart, to the city of Porto in 1642. He had the opportunity to verify, in loco, the ineffectiveness of the 16th century structure in the face of 17th century offensive means, and he prepared a new project that expanded and reinforced it. The works were in charge of the Benedictine architect João Turriano. However, problems raised by the source of funds at the Porto City Council and personal problems of the forts Lieutenant-Governor Pinto de Matos (1643–1645) significantly delayed the start of the works. With the appointment of Martim Gonçalves da Câmara, as a replacement for Pinto de Matos (May 1646), work finally started, with the demolition of the Old Church in the same year. The chancel and nave of the church, with the involvement of the bastioned structure and the dismantling of the cover, functioned as the fort's courtyard.[1] Made a priority in the face of the invasion of Minho by Spanish troops, they were completed in 1653. Two years later, it was considered the second stronghold in the kingdom, after Fort São Julião da Barra, and the key to the city of Porto, which the fort not only secured but also the entire province of Entre-Douro e Minho and that of Beira. At the end of the 17th century, in 1694, it was garrisoned by an infantry terço paid by the Porto city hall. As a result of the evolution of ships and artillery, the fort gradually lost its defensive function, being used as a prison for political prisoners. In 1759, when the Society of Jesus was expelt, 227 Jesuits were held there. Among the illustrious names who were detained in their prisons, at the time of the Marquis of Pombal stand out those of Tomás da Silva Teles, Viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira (who died there in 1762), and José de Seabra da Silva, and in the 19th century, the liberals José da Silva Passos and the Duke of Terceira. At the beginning of the 19th century, during the Peninsular War, on June 6, 1808, Sergeant Major Raimundo José Pinheiro occupied its premises and, in the following dawn, hoisted the Portuguese flag on its mast, the first act of Portuguese insurrection against the Napoleonic occupation. The fortification would be involved a few years later in the Portuguese Civil War, having protected the landing of supplies, during the siege of Porto (1832–1833). In the 20th century it was the residence of the poet Florbela Espanca, wife of one of the officers of the garrison. It was classified as a "Property of Public Interest" in 1967.[1] After being abandoned for a few years, in the first half of the 1990s, the monument underwent archaeological intervention under the responsibility of the Urban Archeology Office of the Museum and Historical and Artistic Heritage Division of the Porto city council. It currently houses the National Defense Institute.
Interesting 16th century defensive fort that you can freely explore. It has a few interesting nooks and crannies, and the abandoned remains of the old church of Sao Joao da Foz do Doura which had been built by the order of the Bishop Dom Miguel da Silva and designed by the italian architect Francesco da Cremona. Not all of the fort and church is accessible because it's a bit in disrepair and some areas are full of debris or just dangerous. I'm not sure why the Portuguese government hasn't taken better care of it... This fort was a key part of the coastal defenses protecting the Douro bar. Its construction began in 1570 and was completed in 1647 when the existing ramparts were built.
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