Fortified System of São Paulo Hill, Colonial fortress in Morro de São Paulo, Brazil

The Fortified System of São Paulo Hill is a colonial fortress positioned at the base of the slope featuring multiple defense structures, batteries, barracks, and water supply infrastructure. The complex extends roughly 650 meters along the hill and includes several accessible sections such as the Battery of Conceição and the Fort of Facho.

The hill was already fortified during the first Dutch invasion of Salvador in 1624–1625. Under the Philippine Dynasty, two forts were built on Tinharé Island between September and November 1631: the Reduto de São Luiz and the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, armed with three and six guns respectively. The current Forte Novo was ordered by viceroy Vasco Fernandes César de Meneses, with construction starting on 4 April 1728.

The name Morro de São Paulo refers to the hill itself, while the fortification is a set of batteries and forts rather than one building. The garrison, 100 to 200 men recruited around Cairu and Boipeba, was paid in kind: those towns were exempt from military service in exchange for feeding the soldiers. The hilltop chapel of Nossa Senhora da Luz, patroness of the settlement, appears on the 1631 plan by engineer Paulo Nunes Tinoco.

You can explore multiple sections of the complex via connecting stairs and pathways throughout the grounds. Wear comfortable footwear and allow time to wander through each distinct area.

The complex is not one fort but a chain of batteries and forts. The current Forte Novo was ordered by viceroy Vasco Fernandes César de Meneses; its design by engineer Miguel Pereira da Costa was approved in 1727, and construction began on 4 April 1728 under captain Carlos de Sepúlveda.