São Brás Fortress

This polygonal fortress follows the design of Italian Tomaso Benedetti; it has four bastions at the corners, prepared to receive firearms and low but very thick walls. Inside, there is a square and around it a set of buildings of diverse epochs and configurations.

Over the centuries it has been altered with new additions and transformations. Its function consisted of guaranteeing national sovereignty, protecting the city of Ponta Delgada and defending commercial fleets from the attacks of English, French and Algerian pirates and privateers. At present, it houses the Command of the Military Zone of the Azores, as well as the Military Museum of the Azores.