Our Neighborhood Fort, Fort São Filipe de Setúbal
A story about recovery and resilience
Portugal’s Historic Earthquake
Thousands of people were attending mass to honor their ancestors on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1775. Then, at approximately 9:40 in the morning, the ground began to shake violently. It was a powerful earthquake that severely damaged the city and killed as many as 60,000 people. Many of those who died perished in the rubble of stone churches as they collapsed.
The calamity continued with a tsunami and fires that raged for six days. Damage from the quake stretched from Lisbon southward to the Algarve and on to Algiers, 685 miles away. The resulting fires and tsunami added to the death and damage toll.
What we see and admire today are Portugal’s restoration efforts. Meetings began a month after the earthquake, and special commissions debated whether to rebuild the city as it was or make improvements to the city’s layout. It was decided to fortify the new construction with a wooden framework to improve structural integrity.
The city of Setúbal 30 miles south of Lisbon was also hit hard by the quake and restoration efforts followed. Setúbal today is mostly post-earthquake construction, but the late gothic Convento de Jesus and the Forte de São Filipe, the gems of the city, have continued with restoration efforts due to the quake and the weathering of time.
Fort São Filipe de Setúbal
Before leaving San Diego, Dave and I spent time on Google Maps studying the layout of Setúbal. Through the help of a local real estate agent and several Zoom calls, we were able to have a virtual walkthrough of the apartment that we eventually decided to buy. The aerial map shows how close we would be to the Sado River, downtown, and the foothills of the Arrábida mountains. We imagined ourselves walking to the marina and up to the ancient fort.
Our walking trip up to the fort is a 30-minute cardio workout up a hill that overlooks the city. The fort was completed in 1600. It’s a national monument and part of the Arrabida Nature Park. We explored the irregular periphery of the fort, not realizing until later that the bastions hold together as an irregular 6-point star that mounts the terrain of the hilltop. Back in time, these structures helped to defend the city from pirates. Setúbal at the time was a thriving fishing port.
A walk atop the bastions offers the best views of the Sado River and the city of Setúbal. The geography of the area is completely on display up here with the resort area of Troia to the south across the Sado River, the Atlantic, and Arrábida mountains to the west, and amazingly, Palmela Castle to the north. The hike to reach the castle is great if you want a nice workout, but beware of passing cars. The drive up the hill is wide enough to accommodate cars in both directions, but there are no sidewalks so you’ll have to hug the sides of the road.
On the way to the top, we ducked into the fort’s small but tile-adorned baroque chapel. Within the rustic, honey-colored exterior, the sudden opulence of blue and white tiled walls and ceiling and golden altar area is remarkable. It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect to find in a rustic stone structure. There is also a modern tourist/rest stop at the top of the fort. My eyes took note of the interior as we consider options for our new home. Blue walls with buttery yellow/orange accents are great fuel for thought.
The Fort has a Cafe! A Place to Relax and Reflect
We were invigorated by our hike and happy to relax in the shade of a multiple-umbrella spread. We ordered coffee and the pastel de nata that was hot and fresh out of the oven and sat in the shade to relax and reflect. We followed through with planning, paperwork, packing, and purging of personal belongings to make this adventure possible. We have many surreal moments as we live and explore our new historic hometown.
So much of our settling-in is still a work in process as we’ve just crossed the 3-month mark. We’ll be off to northern Portugal for our scheduled residence permit interview later this week. I will be reporting on that and other details about our living situation in future blogs, so stay tuned for those. Again, thanks for following! Also, refer your family and friends to my blog especially if they have interests in Portugal or living abroad. Love ya! Clyde
Interesting history! Such resilience in people all over the world. I love that cafe with all of the blues and yellows. Lovely! I want to enjoy a treat with you and Dave and Nancy someday.