Fort of the Espírito Santo

The Fort of the Espírito Santo (Portuguese: Forte do Espírito Santo (literally, the Fort of the Holy Spirit)) is the remains of a 16th-century fortification located on the extreme northern edge of the Bay of Praia da Vitória, in the Portuguese civil parish of Santa Cruz, municipality of Praia da Vitória, on the island of Terceira, in the Azores. Positioned along the point of Facho, in a commanding position over the coastal stretch, it served as a fortification for the defense of the anchorage of Praia. This defensive structure was crucial in protecting against attacks by pirates and corsairs who frequently traversed the waters of the mid-Atlantic, targeting ships returning from the newly discovered territories of the Far East. It crossed its cannons with the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and the Fort of the Port, that existed across the bay. Today, the ruins of the small fort is part of the protective northern pier that shelters shipping and refuelling ships supporting the Lajes Air Field.

Fort data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).