Capela de Nossa Senhora do Baluarte
The Capela de Nossa Senhora do Baluarte (Portuguese) is a Roman Catholic chapel in the far north of the Ilha de Moçambique in the city of the same name. It is considered the oldest colonial structure on the coast of the Indian Ocean and is the only surviving Manueline style structure in Mozambique .
history
It was built in 1522 by men of the Armada Pedro de Castros , who stopped here on their sea voyage to India. They were the same ones who led the first Portuguese attack on the Swahili settlement in the Quirimbas archipelago , from where they were pushed back.
The small chapel was built in the Manueline style, with a domed roof supported by two transoms . The imperfect construction is probably due to the inexperience of the builder. Hewn blocks and decorative elements that were brought from the Kingdom of Portugal and were originally intended for India were used for the construction.
In the place of the chapel there was previously an artillery battle station, the remains of which give the chapel an unusual characteristic. Later, probably in the 17th century, the chapel was given a porch like the Portuguese churches in India. Today the chapel is located within the Fortaleza de São Sebastião . In 1996 it was restored with funds from the Portuguese Comissão Nacional para os Descobrimentos .
photos
Chapel (view from the fort)
Chapel (close-up)
Porch and entrance
Detail of the domed roof
Inside
Loopholes
Web links
Coordinates: 15 ° 1 ′ 44 ″ S , 40 ° 44 ′ 40.5 ″ O