Fortaleza dos Reis Magos
Daily, from 8am-4pm.
Fortaleza dos Reis Magos (Three Wise Men Fortress)
The construction of the Fortaleza dos Reis Magos (Three Wise Men Fortress) began in January 6th, 1598, on the Day of Holy Kings, and lasted for about thirty years. The building was supposed to make effective the Portuguese possession and control of that territory which constantly faced French corsairs attacks. It has the shape of a star polygon and houses a chapel, a gunpowder room and a cistern. In the nineteenth century, it served as a prison for those involved in the Pernambuco Revolution of 1817. The images of the Three Wise Men - Gaspar, Belquior and Balthazar - greet visitors at the entrance of the fortress. D. José I, King of Portugal between 1750 and 1777, donated them.
