The Fort of Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat, originally called the Castle of São Felipe, is considered an extremely important example of our early fortified architecture, as it is the most archaic model of local defence that has survived without major alterations.

In this respect, it is perhaps the oldest in the whole of Brazil.

In fact, in Albernaz’s cartography of the first quarter of the 17th century, which also includes the Fort of Santo Alberto, the old tower of Santo Antônio da Barra and the tower of São Tiago de Água de Meninos, the Serrat Fort is the fourth one shown on the map.

In the picture below, the fort looks the same as it does today, despite the renovations.

The Fort of Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat, originally called the Castle of São Felipe, has undergone several renovations throughout its history. These renovations were carried out to improve the fort’s defensive structure, adapt it to new military technologies, repair damage caused by attacks or the wear and tear of time, and preserve its historical integrity.

The most important renovations carried out at the Fort of Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat are

1. Reforms by the Count of Castelo Melhor (1650-1654)

• During the reign of the Count of Castelo Melhor, the fort underwent its first significant renovations. These improvements were aimed at strengthening the structure of the fort and increasing its defensive capacity. The intention was to improve protection against attack, especially after the first Dutch invasion in 1624. Although the exact details of the changes made are not well documented, it is known that they included strengthening the structure and adapting it to the military needs of the time.

2. Reforms under the Viceroyalty of André de Melo e Castro (1735-1749)

• During the reign of André de Melo e Castro, Count of Galveias, as Viceroy of Brazil, the fort underwent another series of renovations. These works, completed in 1742, were carried out to maintain the efficiency of the fort’s defensive structure, probably with improvements to the walls and bastions, as well as the replacement or maintenance of artillery and other military installations.

3. The restoration of Góis Calmon (1924-1927)

• In 1927, during Góis Calmon’s administration, the fort underwent a major restoration project. This was part of a wider effort to ‘beautify’ the areas of Montserrat. The restoration involved rebuilding damaged parts of the structure, cleaning and restoring the turrets and generally improving the state of conservation of the fort. A commission was formed to supervise the work, made up of specialists such as Captain Cunha Menezes, Professor Alberto de Assis and the engineer Américo Furtado de Simas.

4. Minor renovations by the Brazilian Army

• In the decades that followed, the fort remained under the care of the Brazilian Army, which carried out minor renovations to maintain the fort’s structural integrity and original appearance. These renovations were small-scale and focused mainly on basic maintenance to ensure that the fort remained accessible for visits and to preserve it as a historical heritage site.

5. Other interventions and current use

• In addition to these more significant renovations, the fort has also undergone minor conservation work over the years to prevent deterioration caused by the elements and the passage of time. Today, the fort is a tourist and historical site in Salvador, used for cultural and educational events, which requires continuous maintenance and conservation.

Albernaz’s plan is the oldest iconographic document about the fort.

The Forte de Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat is, in fact, a reference point in terms of the city’s image, like many other fortresses, but it is special because of its privileged location and its extreme harmony with the morphology of the terrain.

Its round bastions were very much in keeping with the Italian fortified architecture of the transitional period, albeit on a much more modest scale.

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História do Forte de Nossa Senhora de Monserrate

For the less informed reader, it’s worth pointing out that the fort’s name has nothing to do with the Baluarte de Monserrate.

This was part of the approximate defensive perimeter of Salvador, probably located on the hillside of the city, below the fortress of Santo Antônio Além-do-Carmo, as described by Captain João Coutinho.

If we assume that it was built during the reign of D. Francisco de Sousa, as Teodoro Sampaio and many other illustrious researchers of our history believe, we can imagine that its design could well be the work of Baccio de Filicaia, who was in the service of this governor.

In his work on the military history of Brazil, written in the 18th century, Colonel José Mirales believes that it dates from the time of Governor General Manoel Teles Barreto (1583-1587).

What is certain is that it was already one of the fortresses mentioned by Diogo de Campos Moreno in his report of 1609.

Although it had the capacity to receive a larger number of pieces, Monserrate did not have more than six or seven, since “one shouldn’t give a pygmy the same weapons as a giant […]”, as the master-decamp Miguel Pereira da Costa, an expert on the subject, believed.

In fact, Caldas, who saw it as an “old and defective fortification”, found it in the middle of the 18th century with nine pieces, which he considered more than enough for its firepower.

He also found it with the two front turrets cut down to the level of the barbette in order to increase the line of fire. These turrets had been rebuilt at some point in the past.

Their “guardhouses”, as the common people tend to think of them, were actually tiny turrets whose function was to flank the curtains with musket fire (a type of portable firearm).

Because it had a barbette parapet, this fortress was always frowned upon by the gunners, who were more exposed to enemy fire.

However, the purpose of all these devices was to increase the firepower of the fort, to enable it to hold a greater number of pieces and to improve the visibility of the frontal shot.

Among other things, it had a defect common to many of Salvador’s fortifications, which was the existence of a step-father, formed by the hill where the headquarters of the Coordination of Environmental Resources is currently located, at a higher altitude than the Monserrate stronghold.

Unlike other defensive structures in our city, which have never fought against an external enemy, the former São Felipe Fort or Castle, now the Fort of Nossa Senhora de Monserrate, has been involved in several battles during its four hundred years of existence.

However, the behaviour of its defenders is controversial.

During the first Dutch invasion, it was taken by the Batavos after an exchange of fire with some of the enemy squadron’s ships.

His resistance to the attack seems not to have been very strong, because once the city was occupied, there was no alternative but to retreat.

Moreover, it wasn’t difficult to land on the beaches of the Itapagipe peninsula and cut off communication with the city’s garrison.

There is a new disagreement among historians about what happened at the Monserrate Fort with the arrival of Fradique de Tolledo in 1625.

Some say that when the Dutch saw the powerful fleet, they retreated to the town and abandoned it, a wise and healthy move.

Aldenburgk says that his garrison even fired on the ships of the Portuguese-Spanish squadron, only to retreat the following night.

On the other hand, those who wanted to exaggerate Portuguese achievements, such as the military man Francisco de Brito Freire, author of História da Guerra Brasílica, say that the fort was taken by surprise. Where bravado abounds, historical truth is lacking.

Thirteen years had passed since the Portuguese reoccupied the fort when “on the afternoon of the 21st of April, Major van den Brand, with some men, advanced along the beach, leading five pieces, and took it from Captain Pedro Aires de Aguirre, who had few soldiers and six cannon”.

This was the Nassau invasion of 1638. The Dutch only abandoned it when they returned to Pernambuco.

It should be noted that Aguirre had been the fort’s corporal since 1618 and was certainly an old man.

The fort of Our Lady of Monte Serrat would hibernate for a few hundred years, waking up sporadically with a ceremonial salute when it was occupied by the Sabinada rebels in 1837.

It was its “third warrior adventure”.

The rebels, who had seized it with the help of the liner Brasília, exchanged fire with ships of the Imperial Navy, but surrendered in the face of the more modern artillery of the corvette Regeneração and the brig Três de Maio, which disembarked the garrisons supported by a Legalist detachment advancing by land.

During the second reign, the Christie affair, which involved incidents with ships and led to a diplomatic rupture with England, raised the issue of remodelling the fort.

This was carried out in 1863, following the recommendations of the French colonel Beaurepaire Rohan, who at the time was in charge of the country’s security.

Map of tourist attractions in Salvador de Bahia

From then on, there is no evidence of any significant intervention to preserve it until, in a deplorable state, it was the subject of restoration work during the administration of Góis Calmon (1924 to 1928), as part of the project to “beautify” the Monserrate areas.

At that time, a commission was set up, made up of Captain Cunha Menezes, Professor Alberto de Assis and the engineer Américo Furtado de Simas.

The last restorations, carried out by the Brazilian Army, were minor and did not alter the appearance of the fort.

The Fort of Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat is located at Ponta de Humait in Salvador da Bahia.

History of the Fort of Our Lady of Mount Serrat – Salvador de Bahia Tourist Guide

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