Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça : fortress Our Lady of Grace
Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça : fortress Our Lady of Grace

Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça : fortress Our Lady of Grace

Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça : fortress Our Lady of Grace

UNESCO heritage abandonment

Elvas, Portugal

Located in the parish of Alcazaba about one kilometer from the town of Elvas in Portugal, the fortress Our Lady of Grace, better known by the Portuguese as the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça or Forte Conde de Lippe, this is a imposing building dedicated to the protection of the country. While the Spanish border is only a stone's throw at the east of the city, King Joseph ordered its construction in 1763 on the Mount Grace hill, where stood the ancient chapel of Our Lady of Grace. This is the perfect place, as this hill is the highest point in the region. Its construction will last nearly thirty years and thousands of men will be mobilized to build this fortress. But their work was not in vain, because the fortress will be the privileged witness of many battles that will take place.

Composed of three lines of defense and considered as a masterpiece of military architecture of the eighteenth century, it will withstand the onslaught of Spanish troops during the War of the Oranges (1801), the French bombardment of General Soult during the Peninsular War (1811) and many more.

It was also used as a military prison for several years. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fortress requires more work to maintain its original charm. The site is now abandoned for several years.

Video

Here is a video made by Richard Moura about the fortress of Our Lady of Grace.

Related content

The abandoned music studio
North of Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

Built by record producer Andre Perry in the early 70s, Le Studio is a real monument in the history of music. Located in the Laurentian mountains, an hour and a half north of Montreal , the site was a huge recording facility, featuring the most...

The abandoned Laurentian military base
Saint-Adolphe d'Howard, Quebec (Canada)

Closed in 1987, the former Canadian military base located in St-Adolphe-d'Howard began its operations in 1950. Its mission: monitor the airspace in southwestern Quebec and northeastern Ontario. True vestige of the Cold War between the Western...

The old Teleglobe satellite station
Charleston, Nova Scotia (Canada)

Built in the woods near the hamlet of Mill Village, the Teleglobe station is no longer the shadow of what it once was. Built in 1964 at a cost of $ 9 million, the vast complex was part of an extensive satellite program for the transmission of...

Old abandoned barn
Montérégie, Quebec (Canada)

Regions are getting empty. Everybody knows, everybody says so. Farms are becoming larger and they become (over) specialized. At the last century they were self-sufficient and beyond culture, they had cows, pigs, chickens and more. Today, this is...