Fortress of Santa Cruz, Military fortress in Jurujuba, Niterói, Brazil

The Fortress of Santa Cruz da Barra stands at the entrance of Guanabara Bay with thick stone walls and multiple defensive positions overlooking the ocean. The structure includes dungeons, chambers, and chapels that visitors can explore throughout the site.

The site was occupied by the Portuguese from 1584, when a battery dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Guia was built under governor Salvador Correia de Sá. In 1612, under Philip III of Spain, it became the Fortaleza de Santa Cruz da Barra with twenty guns; its regiment was approved in 1613. In 1710 its fire, with that of the Fortaleza de São João, repelled the squadron of Jean-François Duclerc.

The chapel of Santa Bárbara, rebuilt in 1912, keeps an original wooden statue of the saint. The fort's name comes from the battery of Nossa Senhora da Guia raised on the site in 1584. Guided tours run hourly and last about 45 minutes, and the site still houses the Artillery Division of the 1st Army Division.

Visitors can explore the fortress on most days and see the defensive structures, underground areas, and historical spaces. It is best to wear sturdy shoes since the ground is uneven and some staircases are steep.

The fort's name comes from a 1584 battery dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Guia, replaced in 1612 by the Fortaleza de Santa Cruz da Barra under Philip III of Spain, when it held twenty guns. Its 1613 regiment ordered five cells cut into the living rock, each two metres high and sixty centimetres wide.