Villegagnon Island, Military island in Guanabara Bay, Brazil.
Villegagnon Island sits in Guanabara Bay and is connected to Santos Dumont Airport on the Rio de Janeiro mainland by a causeway. The entire island is now occupied by the Brazilian Naval Academy, which operates its training facilities and barracks there.
French admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon established Fort Coligny on this island in 1555 and founded the colony of France Antarctique. Portuguese forces later took control and built the Fortress of São Francisco Xavier there in 1733.
The island hosted the first Protestant religious service in the Americas, celebrated by Calvinist settlers before colonial forces expelled them. This event marked an important moment in the spiritual history of South America.
The Brazilian Naval Academy controls the entire island and visitors need special authorization to enter. The best opportunity to visit is during official Academy events when the island opens to the public.
The island sits barely above sea level and holds remnants of military structures from different eras beneath its modern Academy facilities. These layers of history are visible to visitors during occasional access and tell stories of multiple occupations.
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