Vera Cruz, Bahia - Brazil
O Forte de São Lourenço na Ponta da Ilha de Itaparica localiza-se na ponta da Baleia, extremo norte da Ilha de Itaparica, atual município de Vera Cruz, no litoral do Estado da Bahia.
Dominando o único porto natural da ilha e a enseada do rio Paraguaçú, acesso ao Recôncavo, a sua fortificação mais antiga remonta a 1631, em desenho atribuído ao Engenheiro Paulo Nunes Tinoco.
No contexto da Guerra Holandesa (1630-54), quando da quarta tentativa de conquista de Salvador (fev/1647), os holandeses comandados por Sigismund van Schkoppe ocupam-no e reconstroem-no no formato de um polígono quadrangular irregular, apoiado por quatro redutos, utilizando-os como centro das operações contra Salvador e o Recôncavo baiano. Estas forticações resistem ao assalto das forças portuguesas comandadas por Francisco Rebelo (ago/1647), e serão destruídas quando os holandeses se retiram para Recife (jan/1648), evacuando a ilha de Itaparica (SOUZA, 1885:95-96).
A atual fortificação, erguida em alvenaria de pedra e cal sobre os vestígios do antigo forte, remonta a 1711, sob o Governo Geral de D. Lourenço de Almada (1710-11) (SOUZA, 1885:96), em homenagem a quem é colocado sob a invocação de São Lourenço (Forte de São Lourenço). Por determinação do Vice-rei D. Pedro Antônio de Noronha Albuquerque e Souza (1714-18), ainda em construção, é nomeado Capitão da fortaleza Antônio Gonçalves da Rocha, que se obrigou, ao assumir a função, a custear as obras de reconstrução, obedecendo a planta original.
De acordo com iconografia de José Antônio Caldas (Planta e fachada da fortaleza de S. Lourenso na Ponta da Ilha de Itaparica fronteira a esta Cidade. in: Cartas topográficas contem as plantas e prospectos das fortalezas que defendem a cidade da Bahia de Todos os Santos e seu reconcavo por mar e terra, c. 1764. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, Lisboa), o seu desenho apresenta o formato de um polígono octogonal, com seis ângulos salientes e dois reentrantes. Com o auxílio de GARRIDO (1940), podemos completar a descrição da estrutura: o acesso é feito por uma rampa até uma portada de 2,20m de largura em cantaria, com verga, ladeada por dois coruchéus, encimada atualmente pelo escudo de armas do Império. Esta prossegue como um túnel em rampa (saguão) de 7m de comprimento, que dá acesso ao terrapleno. No pavimento inferior, abre-se em cada lado um recinto abóbadado de 9,55m x 4,30m: o Quartel da Tropa e a Prisão. Sobre o terrapleno, ao abrigo das cortinas, ergue-se edificação de um pavimento, abrigando as dependências de serviço do forte (Casa de Comando e Paiol). A estrutura contava ainda com Cisterna. GARRIDO (1940) complementa ainda que a sua planta dispunha de uma face e de dois flancos providos de 14 canhoneiras, e frente abaluartada com 1,80m de espessura para desdobramento da linha de fuzileiros em 140m de plano de fogo. As duas meias-lunetas da parte abaluartada eram desiguais (Op. cit., p. 96).
BARRETTO (1958) informa que estava guarnecido por um Capitão, um Sargento, nove soldados e dois Tambores, e artilhado com doze peças de ferro (seis de calibre 36 libras e seis de 8) (Op. cit., p. 181-182), acreditamos que em meados do século XVIII.
Palco da resistência portuguesa durante a Guerra da Independência (1822-23), foi tomado em jan/1823 pelas forças independentes do Capitão Antônio de Souza Lima com canhões trazidos da Fortaleza do Morro de São Paulo. Por esse feito, é presenteado pelo General Labatut com uma bandeira brasileira, recebendo menção elogiosa na Ordem do Dia 13/jan. Por determinação do General Labatut, esteve detido nas instalações deste forte o comandante do Exército Pacificador de Cachoeira, Coronel Felisberto Gomes Caldeira (19-22/mai/1823). Este episódio conduziria à destituição daquele General, assumindo o comando das forças independentes o Coronel José Joaquim de Lima e Silva (SOUZA, 1885:96).
O mesmo autor reporta que a fortaleza se encontrava arruinada em 1841, creditando-lhe treze peças de artilharia (Op. cit., p. 96). O forte é visitado pelo imperador D. Pedro II (1840-89) em 1859, encontrando-se quase em ruínas. com a Casa de Comando funcionando como Cadeia Pública. No contexto da Questão Christie (1862-65), o "Relatório do Estado das Fortalezas da Bahia" ao Presidente da Província (03/ago/1863) (ROHAN, 1896:51), cita:
"Demora na ponta N da ilha do mesmo nome ao lume d'água, figurando um trapézio, cujo lado de terra é uma cortina ocupada pelos edifícios da Fortaleza e reunida aos lados divergentes da figura por meios baluartes. Apresenta o desenvolvimento de 437 palmos, doze canhoneiras e 283 palmos de plano de fogo. Acha-se reparada, mas ressente-se da falta de plataformas competentes para as canhoneiras. Tem algumas peças, mas não está armada." (Op. cit., p. 62-63)
Com a proclamação da República (1889), as instalações do forte foram utilizadas como enfermaria (1892).
BARRETTO (1958) relata que à época da 1ª Guerra Mundial (1914-18), o forte encontrava-se arruinado, restando-lhe apenas treze peças de artilharia (1915) (Op. cit, p. 182). De propriedade da União, o imóvel encontra-se tombado pelo Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional desde 1938. A partir de 1974 o Ministério da Marinha realizou obras no forte, ali instalando uma Estação de "Degaussing", destinada à desmagnetização do casco de navios. Na ocasião foram demolidos os remanescentes da Casa de Comando, e construído um pavilhão de concreto em forma de "U", além de um pavimento intermediário, semi-enterrado no terrapleno. O forte não se encontra aberto à visitação pública, nem integra os roteiros turístico-culturais da ilha de Itaparica.
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. |