Fort São Francisco of Chaves

The Fort Nossa Senhora do Rosário, better known as Forte São Francisco of Chaves is located in the city of Chaves, in the Parish of Santa Maria Maior, District of Vila Real, in Portugal.

Together with Fort São Neutel, this fort, in a dominant position on the Pedisqueira hill, next to the Tâmega river and the old Roman bridge, was intended to defend Chaves, on the Galician border, at the time of the Restoration War.

The São Francisco Fort has been classified as a National Monument since 1938.

History

The fort dates back to a Franciscan monastery – the Monastery of Nossa Senhora do Rosário – built in the early 16th century, which lent it its official name. According to a deed signed with Friar Rodrigo de Morais in 1446, it was designed by Mestre Joanes de Cibrão who created the vault of the Convent.

Fort Nossa Senhora do Rosário

In the context of the War of Restoration of Independence, recognizing the importance of the city's strategic position, next to the border, the modernization of its medieval defenses was enacted. In order to prevent the neighboring hills from being occupied by enemy artillery batteries, these positions were fortified.

On the hill of Pedisqueira, where the old Franciscan Convent used to be, it was decided to surround it with bulwarked walls, transforming it into a fort. The works were carried out under the orders of the Governor of the Arms of the Province of Trás-os-Montes, Dom João de Sousa da Silveira, between 1644 and 1647. The defense works of Chaves were complemented with the construction of new walls connecting the fort to the old medieval walls, reinforced or rebuilt at the time, surrounding the neighborhoods that had expanded outside the medieval walls.