We drove west along Terceira's southern coastal road, becoming increasingly impressed by the scenery. Finally we turned a corner and noticed a spit of land jutting outward from the island across the pastoral landscape. This marked Monte Brasil, the caldera of Angra do Heroísmo. [see my Monte Brasil page for more photographs from this promontory]
The Estrada Gaspar Corte Real ran along the western edge of the town's harbor, protected by an attractively whitewashed seawall. The ocean came right up to the edge of town, which clung to the side of a downward sloping hill.
The Fortaleza de São Sebastião is a coastal defensive fortress that rises above the eastern edge of the harbor and was designed to protect Angra do Heroísmo from attack or capture. It was completed during the reign of King Sebastião, thus the name, and it represented a new architectural concept in fortress design. It was built purely to defend the port rather than to mimicking earlier acropolis-style castles that were set on high hillsides above town. Notice the angles built into the fortress that would allow defenders to fire weapons from multiple directions.
This is another view of Fortaleza de São Sebastião taken from the harbor. To the immediate right, not quite visible in this photograph, is the current marina and port, and just beyond that the sea. This perspective makes it easy to see whey the fortress was located at this strategic point. A companion fort resided on the opposite side of the harbor at Monte Brasil which allowed the entire mouth of the bay to be protected by crossfire.
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![[Monte Brasil from a distance]](../../graphics/travel/portugal/terceira_angra_distance.jpg)
![[Angra do Heroísmo Waterfront]](../../graphics/travel/portugal/terceira_angra.jpg)
![[Fortaleza de São Sebastião]](../../graphics/travel/portugal/terceira_angra_fortaleza_de_sao_sebastiao.jpg)
![[Fortaleza de São Sebastião]](../../graphics/travel/portugal/terceira_angra_fortress.jpg)