The Fortaleza do Monte (Portuguese for Mount Fortress, also Monte Forte; officially Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de São Paulo, in English: Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul; Chinese: 大砲台; Cantonese Yale: daaih paau yìh) is a fort in Santo António in Macau. It is the historical military centre of Macau. The fort forms part of the "Historic Centre of Macau" and is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[1]
The fort was built between 1617 and 1626 on the 52-metre tall Mount Hill, located directly east of the Ruins of Saint Paul's.[2] It was constructed to protect the properties of the Jesuits (mainly Portuguese Jesuits) in Macau, especially from pirates. Later, the fort was taken over by the Portuguese colonial governor and the relevant authorities for the defence of Macau.
The fort occupies an area of roughly 8,000 square metres. Thirty-two muzzle-loading cannon were placed around the fort's walls, and the two corners of the southeastern fort wall have small watchtowers. The fort proved crucial in successfully holding off the attempted Dutch invasion of Macau in 1622.[3]
The fort remained a restricted military area until 1965 when the barracks in the fort were converted into a weather observatory and the fort was opened to the public. The observatory ceased its function and was relocated to Taipa in 1996 before it was demolished to make way for the Museum of Macau, which was officially opened on 19 April 1998. The tree-covered park at the top of the fort has a panoramic view of the mainland area of Macau.
Apart from being a fortress, it has served various functions:
The first residence of the governors of Macau (in 1623 and in 1740).
The base for two companies of the Portuguese Prince Regent Battalion to act as a police force from 1810 to 1841.
A weather observatory of the Meteorological Department of Portuguese Macau (from 1966 to 1996).
Garrett, Richard J. (2010). The Defences of Macau: Forts, Ships and Weapons over 450 years. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN978-962-209-993-7.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fortaleza do Monte.
Mount Fortress - Macau World Heritage website by the Cultural Affairs Bureau
fortaleza, monte, portuguese, mount, fortress, also, monte, forte, officially, fortaleza, nossa, senhora, monte, são, paulo, english, fortress, lady, mount, paul, chinese, 大砲台, cantonese, yale, daaih, paau, yìh, fort, santo, antónio, macau, historical, militar. The Fortaleza do Monte Portuguese for Mount Fortress also Monte Forte officially Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de Sao Paulo in English Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St Paul Chinese 大砲台 Cantonese Yale daaih paau yih is a fort in Santo Antonio in Macau It is the historical military centre of Macau The fort forms part of the Historic Centre of Macau and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 1 Fortaleza do MonteChinese nameTraditional Chinese大砲台Simplified Chinese大炮台Literal meaningBig FortressTranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinDa PaotaiYue CantoneseYale Romanizationdaaih paau yihJyutpingdaai6 paau3 ji4Portuguese namePortugueseFortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de Sao PauloMap The fort was built between 1617 and 1626 on the 52 metre tall Mount Hill located directly east of the Ruins of Saint Paul s 2 It was constructed to protect the properties of the Jesuits mainly Portuguese Jesuits in Macau especially from pirates Later the fort was taken over by the Portuguese colonial governor and the relevant authorities for the defence of Macau The fort occupies an area of roughly 8 000 square metres Thirty two muzzle loading cannon were placed around the fort s walls and the two corners of the southeastern fort wall have small watchtowers The fort proved crucial in successfully holding off the attempted Dutch invasion of Macau in 1622 3 The fort remained a restricted military area until 1965 when the barracks in the fort were converted into a weather observatory and the fort was opened to the public The observatory ceased its function and was relocated to Taipa in 1996 before it was demolished to make way for the Museum of Macau which was officially opened on 19 April 1998 The tree covered park at the top of the fort has a panoramic view of the mainland area of Macau Apart from being a fortress it has served various functions The first residence of the governors of Macau in 1623 and in 1740 The base for two companies of the Portuguese Prince Regent Battalion to act as a police force from 1810 to 1841 A weather observatory of the Meteorological Department of Portuguese Macau from 1966 to 1996 The Museum of Macau 1998 to present Contents 1 Gallery 2 See also 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksGallery EditFortaleza do Monte Macau A reflecting pool by the main fortress building the site of the Museum of Macau Replica cannon from 1860 line the walls of the fortress The garden of the current Fortaleza do Monte See also EditGuia Fortress another Portuguese fort in Macau List of oldest buildings and structures in Macau List of tourist attractions in Macau List of Jesuit sitesNotes Edit UNESCO World Heritage Centre Historic Centre of Macao Unesco Garrett 2010 p 25 Mount Fortress Garden Macau Museum References EditGarrett Richard J 2010 The Defences of Macau Forts Ships and Weapons over 450 years Hong Kong Hong Kong University Press ISBN 978 962 209 993 7 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fortaleza do Monte Mount Fortress Macau World Heritage website by the Cultural Affairs Bureau Coordinates 22 11 49 6 N 113 32 32 72 E 22 197111 N 113 5424222 E 22 197111 113 5424222 This article about a building or structure in China is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fortaleza do Monte amp oldid 1126678492, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
