Fort of Santa Catarina (Portimão)
| Fort of Santa Catarina | |
|---|---|
Forte de Santa Catarina | |
| Faro, Algarve, Algarve in Portugal | |
Front view of Santa Catarina's fort, in 2020. | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fort |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| Operator | Comissão Municipal de Turismo de Portimão; General-Command of Guarda Fiscal (ceded on 14 February 1948) |
| Open to the public | Public |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 37°6′58.82″N 8°31′46.54″W / 37.1163389°N 8.5295944°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | c. 1621 |
| Materials | Stone, Masonry, Wood, Tile |
The Fort of Santa Catarina (also known as the Fort of Santa Catarina de Ribamar) is a medieval fort situated in the civil parish of Portimão, in the municipality of Portimão in Portuguese Algarve. The structure was considered one of the last Philippine military projects in the Algarve, erected to defend the peninsula from pirates and privateers, as well as military invasions. Its construction is one of the better examples that work of Alexandre Massai, a military engineer who toured the Algarve (between 1617 and 1621) to reinforce numerous military fortifications along the coast.