Freemaps

The fort of São Sebastião de Castro Marim is so called because it occupies the place where there was a chapel dedicated to São Sebastião, and is the best preserved example of what was the extensive process of renovation of the town's defensive system in the mid-17th century.

Its construction was the responsibility of King D. João IV, in the context of the War of Restoration with Spain, in 1641. The project transformed the old medieval castle into the most important military square in the entire Algarve, a fact reinforced by its strategic location in front of the border.

The close relationship with the castle of Castro Marim is one of the most important aspects of the works carried out in the town in the 17th century, as the new military system in the town did not dispense with the old walled enclosure, but integrated it into the new structure.

Photo credits: Castro Marim Municipality.