O “Forte de Santa Catarina”, também referido como “Baluarte da Foz”, localizava-se na freguesia de União das Freguesias de Cascais e Estoril, concelho de Cascais, distrito de Lisboa, em Portugal.
Foi edificado no contexto da Guerra da Restauração (1640-1668), integrando a 1.ª linha de fortificações da barra do Tejo, que se estendia do cabo da Roca até à Torre de Belém para defesa da cidade de Lisboa. Cruzava fogos com a Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Luz, na defesa da praia da Ribeira, e a leste, com o Forte de Nossa Senhora da Conceição.
História
Foi erguido na década de 1640 por determinação do Conselho de Guerra de João IV de Portugal (1640-1656), sob a supervisão do Governador das Armas da Praça de Cascais, D. António Luís de Meneses (1642-1675), 3° conde de Cantanhede.
No relatório do comandante da Província da Estremadura, D. João de Mascarenhas, é referida a existência do Forte de Santa Catarina, junto à Praça de Cascais (2 de novembro de 1675).
Quando da visita ao forte pelo Coronel João Xavier Teles (29 de junho de 1720), este refere que o mesmo se encontrava fechado e sem guarnição militar, artilhado com 1 peça de bronze do calibre 6, e 5 de ferro, todas muito deterioradas. Era necessário construir um lanço do parapeito, com cantaria, o que custaria 20$000 reis.
Em 1777 encontrava-se no ativo, habitado por um civil com a sua família e artilhado com 8 peças.
Em 1796 teve a planta levantada pelo Sargento-Mor do Real Corpo de Engenheiros Maximiano José Serra, que, a seu respeito registou:
“Está dentro da Vila de Cascais, defende bem a Ribeira, por estar elevado sobre o plano do mar 15 palmos e é composto por bateria, quartéis e paiol. Tem guarnição, palamenta e está reedificado pelo Major Serra debaixo das ordens do Coronel Romão José do Rego. A artilharia em ferro, composta por uma peça de calibre 9 e três de calibre 24. Possuía 60 e 180 balas para cada calibre. A artilharia está capaz de funcionar.”
Em 1817 encontrava-se muito arruinado, não sendo, na opinião do coronel Pedro Folque, de restaurar. Se fosse arranjado, o mesmo oficial sugeria que o parapeito fosse mais afastado do mar e arredondado, para evitar a erosão. Folque traçou uma planta do forte, com data de 1821, mostrando uma zona da cortina arruinada, no lado sudeste, sendo prevista a sua reconstrução, mas com menor perímetro, bem como um novo parapeito interno, curvilíneo. Na planta, a leste, é visível uma construção com duas dependências intercomunicantes e acesso frontal.
No contexto da Guerra Civil Portuguesa (1828-1831) existe relatório sobre o forte, datado de 1 de dezembro de 1831.
Em 1868 apenas existem as cortinas e uma das casas abobadadas.
Em um desenho de 1875 verifica-se a existência de habitações no local, como a casa de Madame Aline Neuville, uma modista de Lisboa e fornecedora da Casa Real, e a de Domingos Sequeira de Queirós, à frente da qual havia um terraço para este ver o mar, ambos construídos em terreno militar, do qual haviam-se apossado indevidamente. Em 1876 Sequeira de Queirós mandou demolir parte do paiol e fechou-lhe o acesso, para a construção de um terraço. Em 1880 registou-se o arrendamento do espaço a ambos os proprietários pela Secretaria da Guerra, após um largo período de contenda e embargos sucessivos.
No contexto da Primeira Guerra Mundial (1914-1918), em 1915 a Marinha instalou-se no Pavilhão de Santa Catarina, saindo ao final do conflito (1918). Data deste período a aquisição da residência da família Aires de Ornelas por Henrique Manfroy de Seixas, que formulou pedido para a construção do seu palacete no local (14 de junho de 1916), com projeto do arquiteto Manuel Joaquim Norte Júnior. Em 1920 deu-se início à construção do edifício, sobre um pequeno chalet de madeira e do Forte de Santa Catarina ou Baluarte da Foz, na Ribeira das Vinhas. Entretanto, o proprietário da Villa D. Pedro, Luís Vaz de Carvalho Crespo, filho dos anteriores, decidiu pedir o embargo da obra, por lhe ter sido tirada a vista da enseada. As obras foram concluídas em 1932.
Por testamento do proprietário, de 20 de outubro de 1945, deixando o usufruto do imóvel à esposa, D. Ida Santos de Seixas, o palacete foi doado ao Ministério da Marinha, para instalação da Capitania de Cascais, sendo o seu recheio, coleções de modelos de navios e embarcações, fotografias, desenhos, planos e outros documentos, doado ao Museu da Marinha.
Na década de 1970 tiveram lugar obras de remodelação, alterando a traça do imóvel e das coberturas. Em 2004 registou-se a conclusão das obras de remodelação.
O “Forte de Santa Catarina / Palacete Seixas / Edifício da Messe de Cascais” está incluído na Zona de Proteção das Bases da muralha que interliga os dois baluartes da praia da Ribeira / Muralha do cavaleiro e Baluarte da Foz.
O antigo Palacete Seixas, é hoje propriedade da Marinha, com a função de “Messe de Cascais” e residência oficial do Chefe do Estado-Maior da Armada. Ainda é possível ver os restos da muralha original, quando observamos o edifício a partir do pontão em frente.
Características
Na planta de 1821 o forte era composto por dois baluartes poligonais compostos por face e flanco irregulares, adaptando-se aos afloramentos rochosos. As cortinas encontram-se revestidas a cantaria.
No interior, três dependências abobadadas, encimadas por uma bateria, com acesso por escada exterior, tendo, ainda uma esplanada lajeada. No lado leste, um corpo retangular, que servia de paiol.
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. |