Fortim de São Lourenço: the triangular fort of the Island of Mozambique

In 1595, the Portuguese Crown ordered the demolition of a fort built between 1587 and 1589. A new fortification was constructed on those foundations, beginning in 1695 under the order of Governor Dom Estevão José da Costa. The structure was completed in the first decade of the 18th century under Dom João Fernandes de Almeida.

The fort was designed to defend the southwestern point of the entrance to the port of the Island of Mozambique. It was positioned to provide crossing fire with the fortress São Sebastião and the fort Santo António, equipped with twenty-two pieces of artillery.

Located on the São Lourenço Islet, the fort features a triangular plan with two bastions. Vaulted service rooms rise on the embankment, while gun emplacements and bulwarks are accessed via a ramp. The gate-of-arms opens through the curtain that connects the ramparts.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons