This year the Europa stamps have a wonderful theme, castles. One of the portuguese stamps depicts São João Baptista Fortress in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira island, Azores. Lurdes, who lives on the island, sent a few cards of the fortress with the matching stamp.
This military monument of big dimensions is located on the Brasil Mount, an ancient extinct volcano that forms a small peninsula on the south coast of the town, and two lovely bays (Angra and Fanal). The Fortress would have been part of a set of fortifications built for the protection of the rich Angra do Heroísmo coast.
Built over the Spanish occupancy of the territory (1580-1640) the forts were built in order to protect the coast from the aggressive Pirate attacks and also for the Spanish troops barracks.
Angra do Heroísmo was by then a very important town for the international trading, as it was situated in a strategic point in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and provided a very good port.
The construction of the Fortress began in 1593, and here were lodged the Spanish troops for eleven months when the Portuguese Restoration happened.
© Grafipost - Editores e Artes Gráficas, Lda
The São João Baptista Fortress has a defensive wall area of about 4 km long, surrounding the Brasil Mount, housing in its interior the São João Baptista Church, the Santa Catarina Chapel and the Governor Palace , and is even considered to be the biggest fortress built by Spain in the world. - in: https://www.guiadacidade.pt/en/poi-fortaleza-de-sao-joao-baptista-18599
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