A "Bateria do Zavial" localiza-se sobre a ponta de mesmo nome, na freguesia da Raposeira, concelho de Vila do Bispo, distrito de Faro, em Portugal.
Situada no topo da falésia entre as praias da Ingrina e do Zavial, sucedeu o "Forte de Santo Ignácio do Zavial", seiscentista, na defesa da praia e porto do Zavial, onde existia uma almadrava (armação) da pesca do atum.
História
Antecedentes
A informação documental mais antiga sobre a área do Zavial é um Alvará, datado de 24 de novembro de 1569, pelo qual Sebastião I de Portugal (1568-1678) nomeou a Pedro Dias como Mandador da Armação de Pesca do Zavial.
Mais tarde, no contexto da União Ibérica (1580-1640), Alexandre Massai relacionava os lugares de Almádena e do Azavial como merecedores de fortificação ("Descripcaõ do Reino do Algarve…", 1617/1618), para proteger as almadravas (armações) da pesca de atum ali existentes e aquele trecho da costa dos ataques de corsários e piratas. Também por Alvará, datado de 2 de janeiro de 1618, Filipe III de Espanha (1598-1621) fez mercê ao padre Vicente Freira da Capelania da Armação de Pesca do Zavial, com a obrigação de dizer missa aos domingos e dias santos, o que demonstra um aumento da importância da área.
O Forte de Santo Ignácio do Zavial
Sob o reinado de Filipe IV de Espanha (1621-1665), D. Luís de Sousa, futuro conde do Prado, tomou posse do cargo de Governador e Capitão General do Reino do Algarve (1629). No ano seguinte (1630), Rodrigo Rebelo Falcão, Provedor das Almadravas do Reino do Algarve, por carta de 15 de maio, solicitou a defesa dos "portos de Almádena e Azavial por estarem expostos e oferecidos a maior perigo". É possível que algum tipo de defesa houvesse sido improvisado à época, uma vez que, de acordo com o relato de D. Luís de Sousa ao Conselho da Fazenda, datado de 20 de outubro de 1633, ao término de seu governo, se informou que existiam duas torres de vigia - a "Torre de Aspa" e a "Torre do Azavial" -, por ele reedificadas, pois que as encontrara "por terra" e "sem nenhum uso". Informa ainda que deu início à construção, às suas expensas, do Forte de Santo Ignácio do Zavial, ficando apenas a cisterna por construir.
O forte foi inspecionado em 1754 por D. Rodrigo António de Noronha e Meneses, Governador do Reino do Algarve, que o encontrou em regular estado de conservação, artilhado com duas peças de bronze dos calibres 12 a 8, registando que necessitava de mais armamento. No ano seguinte (1755), entretanto, o terramoto de 1 de novembro (e consequente maremoto) causou o desmoronamento do forte.
A Bateria do Zavial
Tendo sido priorizadas as obras de reconstrução da defesa de Lagos, no contexto da chamada "Guerra Fantástica" (1762–1763) em 1 de agosto de 1763 o marquês de Louriçal, Governador do Reino do Algarve, solicitou a D. Luís da Cunha a construção da Bateria do Zavial, para a defesa daquele ancoradouro. Um pouco mais tarde, por relatório de 18 de julho de 1765, o Sargento-Mor de Engenharia, Romão José do Rego, manifestou-se contra a reconstrução do arruinado Forte de Santo Inácio, recomendando a instalação de uma bateria no local. Uma bateria foi então erguida, encontrando-se, entretanto, parcialmente em ruínas já em 1788. Em 1792, a guarnição era composta por um cabo e dois soldados do Regimento de Infantaria de Lagos, e três artilheiros.
Da Guerra Peninsular aos nossos dias
As vésperas da Guerra Peninsular (1807-1814), por Alvará de 27 de setembro de 1805, o Príncipe Regente D. João determinou que todas as fortificações desde a Bateria do Zavial, a Oeste, até ao Forte de São José (Forte da Meia Praia), a Leste, ficariam dependentes da Praça-forte de Lagos. Ficavam extintos, por se encontrarem destruídos ou não ser aconselhável a sua conservação, todos os outros pontos fortificados não incluídos no Alvará.
Os informes subsequentes dão conta do processo de ruína da estrutura: o relatório de 18 de abril de 1821 do tenente-Coronel do Regimento de Artilharia n.º 2, João Vieira da Silva, dá conta de que existiam na Bateria do Zavial, apenas três peças de artilharia de ferro em muito mau estado; em 1840 a Bateria encontrava-se abandonada.
No século XX, por Despacho do Sub-Secretário de Estado da Guerra, datado de 24 de junho de 1938, as ruínas da Bateria do Zavial (prédio militar nº 1 da Praça de Lagos), foram entregues ao Ministério das Finanças. Finalmente, a 21 de abril de 1943 a Bateria do Zavial foi inscrita na Matriz Urbana da Freguesia da Raposeira, como pertencente ao Estado.
Atualmente em ruínas, subsistem apenas vestígios da sua edificação no terreno, sem qualquer tipo de classificação ou proteção legal.
Características
Exemplar de arquitetura militar, abaluartado, marítimo.
O Forte de Santo Inácio foi erguido num ilhéu rochoso, junto à arriba costeira, à qual se ligava por ponte dormente e levadiça, após inicialmente ter sido escolhida uma ponta, que foi preterida por o ilhéu oferecer melhores condições de defesa da armação e da própria fortificação. Na planta do forte, nesta ponta está assinalada uma torre de vigia. De planta poligonal, de acordo com a forma do rochedo em que se edificou, possuía alojamentos para os pescadores da armação, que o guarneciam, e possuía uma bateria voltada para o mar.
A bateria, edificada em terra firme, com três faces sobre o mar, era aberta pela “gola” e artilhada com três peças recuperadas do antigo forte, dispostas à barbeta. A parte ocupada pelo corpo da guarda, de planta quadrada, recuada relativamente à bateria e sem comunicação edificada com ela.
Help
Fortification Visualization |
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• On fortification’s view page there are fortification name, its location (City, State, Country, Continent) and all other available data about it.
• First, you will see a window with a main text that contains the fortification’s history and other information about its project and construction, its buildings, works and other interventions all over the years, information about armaments and troops, interventions of archaeology, information about legal protection, relevant historical facts associated to this fortification and other information you think it is important. • Below text window, there is the Medias box: Interactive Map, Videos, Images, panoramics and CAD Designs. Click on border of the Media you want to view available content miniatures. Below, in this Help text, you can read about navigating between every different medias. Click on miniature to view it full size. This media is viewed at the same window that previously had the main text. Medias Box – Interactive Map: o An Interactive Map shows the fortification’s localization visualized by a satellite image. It is not a static picture but a dynamic one, which works with a Google MAP technology. You can go next and go back through the map with it, zoom in and zoom out, and view satellite pictures. o Click on correspondent border in medias box and on the link “Click here to view the Interactive Map of this fortification’s localization". o The Interactive Map shows viewed fortification’s geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude). There are three navigation ways: Map, Satellite and Hybrid. Use navigation commands to navigate through the map, moving to any direction you want. Still, you are able to move through the map by dragging cursor with left mouse button, always pressing it. o Click on “Return to text” option to close the map and go back to main fortification text. Medias Box – Vídeos: o To open videos, click on the correspondent border in medias box in order to load the miniatures with available files about this fortification. Use horizontal roll bar to show all available videos. o Click on video miniatures you want in order to load available information about it – they are showed at the same window which previously had the main text. o At the view window there are: video title, your identification number (ID), a description about its content, video credits, date of realization and user name who registered the file – can be fortification’s tutor or other contributor user (see below information about “Contributions” item). Click on contributor’s name to access available information about this user. o Beside these information, there is a frame icon with the file size (Kb). Click on frame icon to open and watch it. o On the base of the visualization’s window, you can access other available videos with Previous and Next commands. Between the two commands there are the total of available videos and the number of the video that you are watching. o Click on “Return to text” option in order to close the visualization window of videos and to go back to fortification main text. • Medias Box - Images: o To open Images (pictures, old iconographies: plans and maps), click on corresponding border in medias box, in order to load miniatures of available files about the fortification. Miniature images are the first to appear available in medias box when you access fortification page at the first time. Click on a miniature to visualize it bigger. The bigger image is visualized on the same window that was occupied by the main text. o When accessing images, first you will see only four miniatures, and beside, there is the number of available images about the fortification. o Click on Show All link to view the total of miniatures. o Use horizontal roll bar to show all available images and click on the miniature you want to load with its available information. o Click on Search link (Images border or miniatures box) to open a selective consult images form . o On Search Form for images it is possible to search for the identification number (ID); image classification category; key-word of image description; any word which is in image credits; the year of image realization, in this case, with the option of searching for a specific date or looking for images from before or after a specific date. o On visualization window, there are not only the image but: its title, its classification category, its identification number (ID), a description about its content, its realization date and credits, name of the user who registered it (publisher), can be fortification tutor or other contributor (see below information about “Contributions” item). Click on contributor’s name to access his available information. o Click on image, on visualization area, to open the original file on other window of your Web Browser, usually it is in a bigger size, with a better visualization. You can get the same result by clicking on " See image at original size" link. o Below visualization window, Previous and Next commands allow to access other available images. Between the two commands there are the total of available images and the number of the image that is being showed at the moment. o Click "Auto" to select this item option, going next automatically to an image from other. o Only for the users who are connected to fortalezas.org Website (logged in the restrict edition area), it is available an Edition option, with which the register Tutor can go straight to edition area in order to change registered data. o On top of page, the print icon opens a new window of your Web Browser, where you can print the page content that you are viewing. o Click on “Return to text” option and close the visualization window to go back to main text. • Medias Box - Panoramic: o To open Panoramic (photographic panorama in 360 degrees), click on corresponding border in medias box, in order to load miniatures of available files about the fortification. Use horizontal roll bar to show all Panoramic available. o Click on panoramic miniature wanted to load its available information which are at the same window previously busy by the main text. o On visualization window, there are not only the image but: its title, its classification category, its identification number (ID), a description about its content, its realization date and credits, name of the user who registered it (publisher), can be fortification tutor or other contributor (see below information about “Contributions” item). Click on contributor’s name to access his available information. Beside these information, there is a frame icon with the file size (KB). o Click on this frame to open it and see the panoramic. o Below visualization window, Previous and Next commands allow to access other available images. Between the two commands there are the total of available images and the number of the panoramic that is being showed at the moment. o Click on “Return to text” option and close the visualization window to go back to main text. • Medias Box – CAD Design: o To open CAD Design (DWG format of CAD file, as graphic survey registers, restoration projects etc), click on correspondent border in medias box, in order to load miniatures with available files about a fortification viewed. Use the horizontal roll bar to show all available CAD files. o Click on miniature wanted to load its available information which are at the same window previously busy by the main text. o On visualization window, there are: CAD Design title, its identification number (ID), a description about its content, design’s author credits, realization date, name of the user who registered it (publisher), can be fortification tutor or other contributor (see below information about “Contributions” item). Click on contributor’s name to access his available information. o Beside these information, there is a frame icon with the file size (KB). Click on frame icon to open and view the design (you must have Autocad installed in your computer or other software of DWG file visualization). o Below visualization window, Previous and Next commands allow to access other available designs. Between the two commands there are the total of available designs and the design number that is being showed at the moment. o Click on “Return to text” option and close the visualization window to go back to main text. • Below medias box, there are many inquiries with parameterized data about this fortification: Recent name, Other denominations, Type, Year of beginning etc. Parameterized data are those with which is possible to do researches on fortifications Search page. Researches can be done with each inquiry individually or by a combination of inquiries. • In “Project Author” and “Began in the governor of” is available a link to access the historical Character data listed there, forwarding to a section of fortalezas.org Website Characters. After this, use “Back” command and return to fortification visualization page. • Below parameterized data box there is an entitle box: Related Characters, where there are listed the name and the nationality (with an image) of historical characters related to the viewed fortification. Click on a name to view its information, forwarding to fortalezas.org Website Characters page. After this, use “Back” command and return to fortification visualization page. • Below related Characters box there is an entitled box: Related Bibliographies, where there are listed title, author and type (with an image) of those bibliographies related to the viewed fortification. Click on title to view its informations, forwarding to fortalezas.org Website Bibliographies page. After this, use “Back” Navigator command and return to fortification visualization page. • Below related Bibliographies box there is an entitled box: Related Links, where there are listed title, synopsis and websites (Links) internet address (URL) that are related to the viewed fortification. Click on link’s title or address forwarding to its website, that will be open in a new window. • Below Link box there is an entitled box: Related texts, where there are listed title, author and text summary posted in Forum section and which are related to the viewed fortification. Click on title to view its information, forwarding to fortalezas.org Website Characters page. After this, use “Back” command and return to fortification visualization page. • On top and base of page, the system informs the total results (registers), between parenthesis, and the number of the register that is being viewed. • On top and base of page, there are also available the commands to go Next and to go Back, from a text to other, between the results (registers) found in the previous search. • On top and base of page, it is available the “Listing” link to go back to the page with the other results (registers) found in the last research. • Below related texts box, there is a “Contributions” table, where there is Item Tutor’s name, who is responsible for fortification register. Below its name, there are listed other users name that contributed to tutor in edition, revision or adding information about this fortification. • Beside Tutor name you can see the date of the last update of fortification’s data. Beside Contributor name is the date when he last contributed. • Below “Medias” sub item there are listed users that contributed to Tutor, adding a media to this fortification: image, video, panoramic or CAD Design. Beside user name, the number between parentheses informs the quantity of media files added by this user. • Click on Tutor name or those names which are contributors in order to view their available information. • Only for the users who are connected to fortalezas.org Website (logged in the restrict edition area), it is available an Edition option, which the register Tutor can change registered contents, and others users can contribute with an additional information about this fortification. • On top of page, the print icon opens a new window of your Web Browser, where it can be print all fortification content that you are viewing. In this print will be listed medias data without their images. To print it, see below, Medias Box – Images item. |