Fortress of São Filipe

The Fortress of São Filipe is a star-shaped fortress on a hill west of the city of Setúbal, above the mouth of the Sado, begun in 1582 in the presence of King Filipe I of Portugal. The fortress lies inside the Arrábida Natural Park and is a National Monument since 1933.

Its chapel is lined with blue and white tiles signed by Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes in 1736.

What to see at the Fortress of São Filipe

Walls and bastions: an irregular plan in the shape of a star, with bastions that follow the slope of the hill down towards the river.
Chapel of São Filipe: a small rectangular chapel under a barrel vault, whose walls and vault are covered in tiles showing scenes from the life of Saint Philip, with Marian panels of 1736 in the chancel.
Lower battery: a trapezoid bastion that extends towards the water, added in the 17th century.
View: the walls look over the city of Setúbal, the Sado estuary, the Tróia peninsula and the Serra da Arrábida.

History of the Fortress of São Filipe

1582: King Filipe I of Portugal attends the laying of the first stone of the new fortress, designed by the Italian military engineer Filippo Terzi.
1600: the Italian engineer Leonardo Torriani, who succeeded Terzi, completes the works.
1649 to 1655: after the restoration of independence, the military governor João de Saldanha adds the lower battery.
1736: Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes signs the tile panels of the chapel.
1868: a fire destroys the governor's house inside the fortress.
1933: the fortress is classified as a National Monument.
1965: a pousada opens inside the fortress, after its inclusion in the Pousadas de Portugal programme in 1954.

Visiting the Fortress of São Filipe

Location: the fortress is reached by the road that leaves the western end of Setúbal towards the Serra da Arrábida.
Visits: the walls, the chapel and a café with a terrace are open to visitors.