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GPS 38.681301595465904, -9.3148231260756

The Santo Amaro do Areeiro Fort, also known as Santo Amaro Fort on the Oeiras river, Forte Velho or Forte do Areeiro, is located in a dominant position, next to Praia da Lage, on the right bank of Ribeira da Lage, to the west from the beach of Santo Amaro. It belongs to the parish of Oeiras and São Julião da Barra, Paço de Arcos and Caxias, municipality of Oeiras, Greater Lisbon, in Portugal.

History

This fort was built in the context of the Portuguese Independence Restoration War, by order of the War Council of King João IV (1640-56), with the aim of reinforcing the defense of the mouth of the Tagus Estuary, supporting the defense provided by the Fort of Sao Julião da Barra.

Work began in 1647, under the direction of the Governor of Arms of Cascais, D. António Luís de Meneses, 3rd Count of Cantanhede, and was completed in 1659. At the time, it was equipped with seven pieces of different calibres.

At the beginning of the 18th century, a Royal Decree (August 30, 1701) appointed D. Rodrigo da Costa as governor of the Fort of Santo Amaro on the Oeiras river. Later, Corporal João Pedro Fernandes (1723) was its governor. It was in a poor state of conservation in 1735, and the main door had to be replaced. At the time, there were seven pieces of iron artillery in battery. Later, in 1751, the state of deterioration was accentuated, with the point of ruin. The estimated budget for the necessary repairs amounted to 900$000 réis at the time.

At the time of the war with Spain (1762-1763), in the context of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the fort was under the government of the lieutenant of the Armada Regiment, Carlos José da Cunha, being artillery with eight pieces, of which one is out of service. It later underwent conservation works, being inspected by the colonel of engineers, Romão José do Rego (1793). At the end of the century, it had a garrison of six gunners and six guns (1798), with the sergeant-major of the Court Artillery Regiment, Manuel dos Reis, appointed as its governor (Royal Decree of December 17, 1800).

At the beginning of the 19th century, the garrison of the fort consisted, in addition to its governor, of the assistant captain Bartolomeu Agostinho Pereira de Carvalho, a furriel, two corporals and twenty disabled foot soldiers (invalidos) (1805) . In 1813, in good condition, it was still equipped with six pieces. Due to the death of his predecessor, Major Matias José de Almeida (November 17, 1820) was appointed as its governor, and its artillery was reduced to three pieces in 1824. In the context of the Liberal Wars, the fort was artillery with five pieces assembled (1831), having been abandoned by its governor (Matias José de Almeida), who withdrew to the north (1833). Major José Victorino de Amarante (1836) was appointed as its governor, who until then was on duty at the Fort of São Lourenço do Bugio. It was governed in 1841 by Luís da Silva Seabra, and is still equipped with three pieces of caliber 24 (1847). José de Gouveia Lobo Soares (1855) and D. José Maria de Mendonça (1855) were in the government. Dismantled (1868), were its governors Joaquim José Esteves (1870) and Francisco Maria Esteves Vaz (1874). At the end of the century, the fort was inhabited only by a soldier with his family (1896), its governor being António Francisco (1897).

At the beginning of the 20th century, its governors were Francisco de Carvalho Moreira Júnior (1909) and Frederico Augusto Guerra Soares, appointed on November 21, 1911, a position that was then only symbolic. During World War II, five families lived in the fort's premises (1945), computing, shortly after the conflict, twenty-seven adults and several children (1947). This number rose to about forty individuals in 1950, after which the process for their eviction began. In 1953, the fort's facilities were transferred to the Administration of the Port of Lisbon, which, however, never used them. The following year, they were transferred to the General Secretariat of National Defense, and major conservation and improvement works began. Between 1961 and 1962 its premises were used as the summer residence of the Minister of the Army. After the Carnation Revolution (1974), the fort was used as a place for political meetings. For reasons of security for some personalities, a wall was built, the demolition of which is currently awaited.

In the 1980s, its premises were used as a summer camp for the children of civil servants.

It is classified as "Property of Municipal Value", according to Public Notice nº 184/2004 (2nd series), published in the Diário da República, nº 67, II Series, of March 19, 2004.

In December 2010 the government authorized the sale of the fort, with an estimated price of 1.273 million euros. The sale was justified by the need to reorganize and requalify the military infrastructure within the execution of the military infrastructure programming law.

Characteristics

A small maritime fortification with a bulwark layout, in the Mannerist style. It has a total area of ​​6100 square meters.

An epigraphic inscription surmounted by the royal coat of arms over the main gate informs the completion of its rebuilding works: 1659.