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GPS 37.000761085618976, -8.948241963567547

The Fortress of Sagres, also referred to as Castelo de Sagres or Forte de Sagres, is a military monument located near the village of Sagres, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve region, in Portugal. The fortress was built in the 15th century, during the period of Infante D. Henrique. It was badly damaged by the 1755 earthquake, having been rebuilt at the end of that century, although in a very modified way. It underwent major renovations in the 1960s, 1990s and 2010s. Inside, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça stands out, also built during the period of Henrique.

The fortress is of great historical importance, due to its connection to Infante D. Henrique and the Portuguese Discoveries, having in 2018 been the most visited monument in the Algarve, and probably in the entire region south of the Tagus.

Panoramic view of fortress

Location

The fort is located on a steep promontory east of Cabo de São Vicente, about a kilometer long, 300 m wide and 40 m high, having been chosen due to its privileged position to control the coast. It is part of the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina, possessing a complex biodiversity, both in terms of fauna and flora, with unique specimens in the region.

Composition

Wall and monumental gate

The fortress features Renaissance and Mannerist architecture. In its entirety, the complex has a roughly polygonal shape, including a walled curtain, and six batteries facing the ocean. The walls are topped on both sides by bastions, and in the center they have a knightly tower, in which the main door of the fortress is located. In this way, the entrance to the promontory was completely closed, and the bulwarks were also used to protect the two bays on both sides of the fortress. This configuration, with the fortification closing the only entrance to a rocky promontory, considerably improved the defense conditions, with other examples existing in the south of the country, although using watercourses instead of the coastline, such as Paderne Castle and Ribat of Arrifana, also in the Algarve, and the castles of Cola and Mértola, in the Alentejo.

In 1843, the tower was about 50 palms (11.43 m) high, and was quadrangular in shape, but with the parapets forming a pentagon, facing the outside of the fortress. These parapets had openings to serve as embrasures. In addition to these structures, the fortress also has several batteries, and several cannons on support cars. The portal, in the neoclassical style, has corners in worked masonry stone, two of which were cushioned stones, while the third served as a base. The cornerstones were modified during works by the Directorate-General for Buildings and National Monuments, with their width being changed from 60 cm to 1 m. After the main portal of the fortress there is a tunnel, which ends in a central clod. This tunnel already existed in 1843, passing at that time under the repairs and the central tower, through a vaulted compartment. This room gave access to the interior of the fortress through a door, near which was also the entrance to the body of the guard, adjacent to the tower. In archaeological surveys, traces of a moat and a drawbridge were discovered at the entrance to the fortress.

Land and buildings

Inside the fortress there were several buildings, including a group known as a current, which were attached to a wall on the south side of the parade ground. These buildings were formed by the Casa do Cosmógrafo, the Casa do Governador and the Casa do Infante. Later, they were occupied by the House of Captains, and several residences and dormitories. Outside the main square, further south, there was another property that was identified as a magazine, which was later used as a stable, of which the ruins remain. There were also several warehouses, several batteries with cannons, and a cistern, which is one of the few original remains of Vila do Infante.

To the west of the church was a rectangular building, with a gabled roof and a single panel on the main façade, with nine doors. The central building was quadrangular in shape, and was originally composed of two main bodies, both on two floors, connected by a curtain wall. The main façade of the first body had no base and ended in a cornice and eaves, and was divided by three doors and two windows on the ground floor, while the first floor had five windows. The second body, to the east of the first, was known as the Governor's House, and had a rectangular plan, whose main façade also had no base and was topped by an eaves, with two doors on the ground floor and two windows on the upper floor. The fortress also has an auditorium.

The fortress complex also includes a circular structure known as the Rose of the Winds, discovered in the 17th century. It is composed of several stones of unequal dimensions, forming a radiated star with 32 directions. The Rose of the Winds may be linked to a hermitage with a circular plan dedicated to Santa Maria, which would have been built by order of the Infante inside the village.

In order to guide and inform visitors, several itineraries were created with descriptive panels about the various parts of the monument, and plant and animal species on the promontory. A treadmill of about two kilometers was also installed, intended for visitors with reduced mobility.

Church of Our Lady of Grace

Inside the fortress is the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, founded during the Henrique period, originally dedicated to Saint Mary. The building has a longitudinal plan, with a single nave and a quadrangular transept, with the sacristy to the south, similarly. The interior of the nave is covered by a barrel vault, protected by a gabled roof, while the chancel is topped by a dome on trumpets. The facades do not have a base, the main one having two panels, one of which is related to the church building itself, where the entrance portal with lintel is located, while the other corresponds to the belfry. The south façade also has two panels, one for the sacristy and another for the church nave, with a window opening in the latter. The east-facing facade is the same as the south-facing one, also with a window, and includes a staircase to access the belfry. Inside the church there is a set of tombstones.

Conservation and importance

The Fortress of Sagres was classified as a National Monument by a Decree of June 16, 1910. The Special Protection Zone was delimited by Ordinance No. 469/87, published in the Government Gazette No. 128, Series I, of 4 June 1987. It also received the distinctions International Place of Culture and Peace, from the International Observatory of Human Rights, and European Heritage Mark, from the European Union.

On January 31, 2017, the fortress was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the list of Places of First Globalization. In 2018, the Fortress of Sagres was the most visited monument in the Algarve and probably in the area south of the Tagus River, having registered almost half a million visitors that year. Management of the building was handed over to the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve by Ordinance No. 829/2009, published in Diário da República No. 163, Series I, of 24 August 2009.

Estate

During the archaeological excavations, several pieces were found, from modern chronologies, which include ceramic containers, earthenware, building materials, pieces of glass, and pieces of metal.

History

Background

The area where the fortress is located played an important role from a spiritual point of view, due to its geographic location, far from population centers, and its shape, like a large promontory where the land penetrates into the sea. Indeed, the earliest references to the cape were made by the Greek historian Ephorus of Cime, in the 4th century BC, who named it Hieron Akroterion, a name that was later translated into Latin as Promontorium Sacrum (Sacred Promontory) by Pliny the Elder in his work Natural History. Human occupation of the region dates back at least to the ancient Neolithic period, according to remains found at the Cabranosa archaeological site, northwest of the village of Sagres. During the Roman period, it is possible that it was a place of worship for the god Saturn or Hercules. In fact, several Roman remains were found nearby, including at Praia do Beliche, on the Ilhéus da Baleeira or Martinhal, and on Praia da Baleeira itself. The area gained great importance from a spiritual point of view, due to the legend that it would have been the burial place of São Vicente, after being martyred by the Roman officer Publius Daciano. During the Muslim period there may have been a building dedicated to the cult of that saint, which was described by the geographer Idrisi as the Temple of the Crow. This temple would have been mainly frequented by Mozarabs, operating until the 12th century, when the mortal remains of the saint were transferred to Lisbon, by order of King D. Afonso Henriques.

XV century

In 1438, Infante D. Henrique was in the Algarve region, after the military defeat in Tangier the previous year, and it may have been at that time that he began to take an interest in the region of Cabo de São Vicente. In fact, there is evidence that the Infante was several times in the village of Lagos, then the main nucleus of the Discoveries, and he could easily have accessed the cape, which was of great importance from a religious point of view, due to its connection to Saint Vincent. It is possible that at that time he had already thought about creating a residence in Sagres. On October 27, 1443, the crown granted the territory of Cabo de São Vicente to Infante D. Henrique, for life. At that time, that region was practically uninhabited, having been described in a diploma of Duarte I of 1434 as a «solitary and deserted place, far from the villages», with the Infante expressing his intention to «make a certain settlement or fenced settlements» in letter of donation, in 1443. In the following years, he was committed to creating his own landlord in the region of Sagres, with historian Alberto Iria advancing in 1961 a theory about the original location of the village founded by the Infante as his residence. Thus, this would be formed by several buildings surrounded by a walled circuit, in the same place where the fortress of Sagres was later built. Indeed, later on, several traces of the original walls were discovered in the same place. The original complex was designed by an English author in the 16th century, and the engraving shows a central building with a small staircase and two chimneys, which could have been where he lived and died. This community was not yet known as Sagres, with Infante D. Henrique referring to his lordship as “the so-called village of the Infante”, “my village of Terçanaball” and “my village of Terçanaval”. These last names did not exactly correspond to the village, but to the region in which it was located, while vila was not used as a category of locality, but as a reference to ancient Roman villas, as places of retreat for the wealthiest.

According to tradition, in addition to the village, Infante would also have created a navigation school in Sagres. However, Vila do Infante only began to have working conditions around 1446, several years after important advances had been made in African coastal navigation, such as the passage of Cape Bojador by Gil Eanes, undoing the myth of the School of Sagres. However, this tradition was significantly based on historical events, as the Cape was one of the inspirations for the Infante to launch the African navigations, so it can be said that Sagres played a key role in the start of the Portuguese Discoveries. However, the existence of the School of Sagres cannot be totally ruled out, although in a different location, for example in the neighboring town of Lagos, which was the main center of Henry's navigations.

In 1459, the Infante moved to the Western Algarve, where he stayed until his death, where he devoted himself, among other duties, to the development of his town of Terçanabal. In fact, at this time the village was still considered an unpleasant place, although it experienced some growth in the 1450s, mainly due to the Infante's companions and the various people who were placed there in exile. Due to this population increase, the Infante ordered the creation of the parish of Santa Maria on October 14, 1459, «in a place that was once wild and later populated», which was handed over to the Order of Christ. Meanwhile, in 1454 the Venetian navigator Cadamosto arrived in Vila do Infante, where he was hired by D. Henrique to participate in the Discoveries. Infante D. Henrique died on November 13, 1460, in his village in Sagres. After his death, the village entered a period of decline, having changed administrators several times until the end of the reign of D. João II, in 1495. Indeed, on 29 October 1471 King D. Afonso V made the donation from the landlord of the village, up to Cabo de São Vicente, to Rui de Sousa, while on June 22, 1487, an inhabitant of Raposeira, Rodrigo Anes, received a favor from the captaincy of the village of Sagres. On April 1, 1495 he was granted the post of mayor, by D. João II. In 1498, the son of Rui de Sousa, João de Sousa, inherited the lordship of Sagres after his father's death, later passing it on to his descendants, the counts of Prado and marquises of Minas.

The fortress of Sagres was built during the 15th century, to defend the Algarve coastline, mainly the west coast, and the maritime routes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was considered the most important element of the coastal strip's defense system, with two other fortresses nearby, Belixe and São Vicente. It also served to defend the port of Sagres, which still had a certain importance, being used by international merchants, in addition to serving as the center of a fishing industry. The Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça was also built during the Henrique period.

Century XVI

Initially, Sagres was not a parish, with the inhabitants having to travel to the village of Aldeia do Bispo to attend religious services, a situation that was aggravated by the considerable distance between the two locations. This problem was solved with the founding of the parish and the parish on November 12, 1519, by D. Manuel, who also ordered the construction of the main church. It was hoped that these measures would stop the progressive decline of the parish, which at the same time was becoming more and more a military post. On October 4, 1521, the son of Rodrigo Anes, Alexandre de Freitas, received the rank of captain and mayor of the town of Sagres. After his death in Azamor, these functions passed to his brother Manuel de Freitas, who took office on July 19, 1536, being in turn replaced by Belchior Barreiros. Sagres even had a small municipality, which was later annexed to that of Vila do Bispo, at which time most of the documents and books of the former municipality were destroyed.

In 1587, the corsair Francis Drake made several incursions into the coastal strips of the Algarve, having plundered the town of Sagres, and destroyed a large part of the fortress. The English forces made a drawing of the building before starting the sack, which is probably the oldest visual record of that fortification.

17th and 18th centuries

In 1631 the King of Portugal and Spain, Filipe III, ordered the repair of some parts of the wall that had been knocked down, on the outer side of the fortress. According to historian Ataíde Oliveira, the fortresses of São Vicente and Sagres submitted without resistance shortly after the Restoration of Independence, on December 1, 1640, which freed the country from Spanish rule. After 1640, an exterior fortified structure was installed, according to the system of the Count of Pagan. Also during the 17th century, a circular structure, known as the compass rose, was discovered.

The complex was badly damaged by the 1755 earthquake, with the original walls being lost. The reconstruction works were only carried out from 1793 onwards, coordinated by José de Sande Vasconcelos, who followed a new model, leading to profound changes in the fortress' plan. The works focused mainly on the barracks, the Governor's House, the building adjacent to the cistern, the church, the military warehouses and the outer wall. These works were remembered on a plaque that was placed over the entrance to the fortress. According to archaeological research carried out in 2008 and documents, the structures of the access tunnel and the central turret were built over a period of about 24 years, in the transition from the 18th to the 19th century, although traces of a previous building, probably from the old henriquina wall, on the north wall of the central turret.

19th and 20th centuries

In 1840, a commemorative tombstone of Infante D. Henrique was installed next to the entrance to the fortress, on the initiative of Sá da Bandeira. In 1843, Sagres was a place of reduced population, while the fortress itself had already lost much of its importance, having only a small garrison, and no longer having the moat. The cape and the fortress were described in the work Une excursion au cap Saint-Vicent et au cap Sagres, published by Germon de Lavigne in 1886, noting that at that time it was only occupied by a small detachment of infantry, part of the Lagos garrison. : «C'est une grande bâtisse précédée d'un ouvrage fortifié qui barre le plateau à 2 kilomètres en avaint de la pointe. Ce bâtiment est occupied par une petit poste d'infanterie détaché de la garnison de Lagos. Ces deux kilomètres sont incultes, sauvages ou do moins encombrés d'une aussi triste végétation que celle qu'on rencontre aux approches du phare Saint-Vicent. Ici, au cap, s'élèvent, à 40 mètres, un grand mat sémaphorique et un edifice servant de bureau télégraphique, on voit passer, por ranger le cap Saint-Vicent, tous le navires allant ao sud ouest, aux archipels, à lá côte d'Afrique, à la Méditerranée or en venant. Ils échangent des signaux, ils se font connâitre et saluent le pavillon portugal. At the end of the 19th century and during the 20th century, the fortress ceased to have defensive functions.

Once its strategic role was lost, the fortress gained importance as a symbol of the Portuguese Discoveries. On June 16, 1910, the fortress was classified as a National Monument. In 1921, the formation of the Rose of the Winds was rediscovered.

The fortress' connection to the Discoveries and Infante D. Henrique earned it special attention during the Estado Novo period, which had as one of its main ideologies the aggrandizement of its historical past, with the Infante considered one of the greatest national heroes. One of the biggest manifestations of Estado Novo propaganda was the 1940 Centenary Commemorations event, where D. Henrique had a leading role, so during the organization of the festivities the initiative arose to build a monument to the historical character inside the fortress of Sagres. In this sense, several tenders were opened between the 1930s and 1950s, but always without result. Following these failed attempts, the Directorate-General for Buildings and National Monuments carried out several restoration works in the fortress, during the 1960s, within the scope of the 500 years after the death of Infante D. Henrique. At this time, the fortress was already in an advanced state of degradation, being abandoned and partially in ruins. This intervention included the restoration of the buildings inside the fortress, which tradition indicated to be from the period of Infante D. Henrique, with the Center for Overseas Studies having been installed in one of them, while the Casa do Governador was used as a female dormitory for the Mocidade Portuguesa . In a third building, of more recent construction, a tourist information office, a guardhouse and accommodation for lighthouse keepers were installed. Restoration works were also carried out on the church, and an auditorium was created inside a vaulted building, which was mainly used to show documentaries about Infante D. Henrique. It was during works carried out by that organization that the corners of the portal, at the main entrance of the monument, were widened. As part of these works, a study was made of historical documents about the history of Sagres and its fortress, and to find out where Vila do Infante would originally be. The result of these investigations was mainly based on the studies of Fontoura da Costa, who argued that the old Henriquen settlement was roughly in the same place where the fortress was later built. Thus, it was assumed that the oldest remains found at the site had been built on the site and were part of the village of Infante, these being formed by the Rose of the Winds, and by a section of wall in the interior, which was partially hidden by the set of houses, known as a current. One of the main bases for the reconstruction of the buildings was an engraving from 1587, drawn during the period of Francis Drake's attacks on the Algarve, and which was the oldest known representation of the fortress. These works generated some controversy about the authenticity of the heritage, and the restoration methods used, with criticism of the reconstruction of the buildings as an attempt to recreate an authenticity that might not be true.

The Special Protection Zone was first defined by an ordinance of May 17, 1962, published in the Government Gazette n.º 128, Série II, of May 30, having been modified by Ordinance n.º 550/86, published in the Government Gazette n.º 221, Series I, of September 25th, and again by Ordinance n.º 469/87, published in Diário da República n.º 128, Series I, of June 4th, which restored the limits of 1962. On February 28, 1969, an earthquake occurred that caused serious damage in the Algarve region, including the Fortress of Sagres.

In the 1980s, conservation works were again carried out on the fort, by the Directorate-General for National Buildings and Monuments. The competition, held in 1988, was mainly designed to adapt the monument to tourist demand.

In 1991, construction began on new buildings inside the fortress, during Pedro Santana Lopes' term as Secretary of State for Culture. However, these works provoked opposition from the local population, who criticized João Carreira's project, due to its modern lines, in a place that was considered of great historical symbolism. Due to this controversy, part of the new buildings were never built, which consisted of a corridor about 260 m long, 8 m high and 6 m wide, where the Via dos Descobrimentos would be shown. Decree-law 106F/92, of 1 June, created the Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage, with the fortress of Sagres being under its responsibility. Between 1996 and 1997 work was carried out to enhance the monument's exterior arrangements, also planned by João Carreira. At this time, the walls of the fortress were also painted white. The new buildings were inaugurated on July 12, 1997, during Manuel Maria Carrilho's term as Minister of Culture. At the end of 1997, the altarpiece of the Chapel of Catarina, inside the Fortress of Belixe, was transported to the fort of Sagres, for security reasons.

XXI century

2000s

In the early 2000s, Sagres even became a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status, although in 2003 the Portuguese commission closed the process, having instead suggested that the town be included in a wider geographical candidacy for the Costa Vicentina. .

In 2005, archaeological surveys were carried out, within the scope of the Exterior Spaces Project for the Surroundings of the Sagres Fortress, with an attempt to identify the original configuration of the portal and its evolution from an architectural point of view, and the start of the drawbridge, in the accesses to the entrance of the fortress. The dimensions and shape of the pit were also discovered. In November 2005, the buildings inside the fortress were damaged by a storm, so the monument was partially closed to the public. In December 2006, the Minister of Culture, Isabel Pires de Lima, released the list of 21 national monuments that would enter the competition for the Seven Wonders of Portugal, with the fortress of Sagres being one of the competitors. At that time, the president of the Algarve Tourism Region, Hélder Martins, criticized the advanced level of degradation in which the fortress was found, due to its importance both at regional and national level, being the most visited monument in the Algarve, and the third in Portugal, after the Fátima Sanctuary and the Jerónimos Monastery.

Ordinance 1130/2007, of 29 November, determined that the exploration of the Fortress of Sagres would be carried out by the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve. At that time, work had not yet been carried out on the buildings damaged by the 2005 storm, with the Exhibition Center in a state of disrepair, in addition to the walls also in need of restoration work. This situation was criticized by the mayor of Vila do Bispo, Gilberto Viegas, who said that for several years he had been asking for part of the revenue from the monument to remain for the municipality. That year, the president of the Commission for the Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve, João Faria, spoke about the Fortress of Sagres during the Congress of the Algarve, having argued that ticket revenues, which reached 1.5 to 2 million Euros, should be handed over to a body for its administration, in order to improve its sustainability. In December, the Minister of Culture, Isabel Pires de Lima, and the Minister of the Economy, Manuel Pinho, informed that in 2008 restoration work would begin on the Fortress of Sagres, which in a first phase would cover only the Exhibition Centre. The interior of the building was to be transformed into a multimedia cultural space, where visitors could learn about the history of the site. In 2008, archaeological follow-up work was carried out, following the restoration work on the access tunnel and the central turf, in order to identify the various alterations made to these two elements throughout their history.

Between 2009 and 2010, the first phase of the Project for the requalification and enhancement of the Sagres Promontory was carried out, in the context of the National Strategic Reference Framework and the Tourism Intervention Programme, with the work being carried out by the Turismo de Portugal bodies, Commission for the Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve and the Regional Directorate for Culture of the Algarve. This intervention, which cost 3,466,305 Euros, consisted of landscaping, conservation work on the exterior walls and gates of the fortress' central turret, cleaning of the stonework and coats of arms, whitewashing the church's internal and external walls, reorganizing the public space in Praça de Armas, restoration and cleaning work and geophysical studies in Rosa dos Ventos, where stage lighting was installed. Work on the outdoor spaces included installing a treadmill along the two-kilometre route for people with reduced mobility, creating various itineraries with information about the various elements of the fortress, and the flora and fauna present inside. The buildings built in the 1990s were also reclassified, and the image of the monument was improved, through the creation of a logo, uniforms for employees, and the sale of advertising material.

2010s and 2020s

Between April and May 2012, plans were presented for the Exhibition Center of the Fortress of Sagres, a work that had a budget of around 1.3 million Euros, and which was part of the requalification program of that building, foreseeing that completion for 2014. The exhibition center would be installed in one of the buildings built during the 1990s, which was known as the cod warehouse. The Secretary of State for Culture, Francisco José Viegas, attended one of these presentations in May, having declared that this would be the most significant element of the second phase of the monument's requalification programme. José Viegas also stated that this intervention was of strategic importance for the country, although he admitted that the funds, in the approximate amount of four million Euros, were not yet secured to start the second phase of the works. These would only start after authorization from the Ministry of Finance, which was dependent on a change in the national contribution to community funds. At that time, a contract was in process for the installation of new signage, the construction of photovoltaic panels, in order to produce their own electricity, and for the contract to restore the walls, including the installation of scenic lighting.

In November 2013, the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve informed that the requalification work on the auditorium would begin later that month. This intervention, which would cover only the interior of the building, was handed over to the company Planirest, Construções Lda. for about 74 thousand Euros. In January 2014, the municipality of Vila do Bispo included in its budget for that year the installation of a park for caravans next to the fortress of Sagres, in order to improve security and organization of parking in the access area to the fortress. In May of that year, the contract for the Rehabilitation of the Walls and Execution of the Scenic Lighting of the Fortress of Sagres was assigned, for a value of around 635 thousand Euros, and with a deadline for completion by the end of the year. This intervention included the installation of scenic lighting, and conservation and restoration works in the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, in the coverings of the wall panels, in the front portal, in the pavement of the batteries, in the sundial, and in the cannons, in the which would also be replaced from the support cars. In 2015, the monument received the distinction of European Heritage Mark, an initiative of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to enhance the cultural heritage of each country, as a way to improve intercultural relations and the feeling of belonging within the community European. That year, the American magazine Condé Nast listed the fortress of Sagres as one of the fifty places to visit in Europe before you die.

In January 2017, the monument was closed for repair work, after being damaged by adverse weather conditions. In February, the applications presented by the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve for interventions in five monuments, including the Fortress of Sagres, within the scope of the Operational Program CRESC Algarve 2020 were authorized. In the case of Sagres, this program included the installation of the Multimedia Exhibition Center of the Portuguese Discoveries. In May, deputy Paulo Sá and other members of the Portuguese Communist Party visited the Fortress of Sagres, having met with the coordinator of the monument. After the visit, the Parliamentary Group of that party questioned the Ministry of Culture about the process of restoring and enhancing the fortress, and the Ministry replied that the contract for the requalification of Body A, where the Multimedia Exhibition Center of the Discoveries would be installed Portuguese, with the works expected to end in August of that year, while the center itself would only open in 2018. Also in May, the New School of Sagres program was launched in the fortress, organized by the Regional Directorate for Culture of the Algarve and the Centro Ciência Viva de Lagos, which included several historical and scientific demonstrations, such as the construction of a modular caravel, six meters long. In November, the regional director of Culture for the Algarve, Alexandra Gonçalves, confirmed that the center would be finished by the end of 2018, with this work budgeted at around 2 million Euros. The building was to be divided into several divisions, including a space for the permanent exhibition, another on the first floor for temporary exhibitions, a shop and a café-restaurant. The permanent exhibition was divided into six cells on various topics, including the recreation of life aboard a caravel, a reconstruction of Infante D. Henrique's workroom, and a demonstration of how the Portuguese language is spoken on different continents. The construction process of these buildings generated quite a stir, although they did contribute to making the old fort's main square a useful area, both from a cultural point of view, through the creation of the multimedia center, and from the point of view of services for visitors. , such as shops and catering establishments.

In June 2018, the regional director of Culture of the Algarve announced that the revision of the terms of reference for the multimedia center in the fort of Sagres was almost completed. In December, the fortress was honored with the distinction International Place of Culture and Peace, by the International Observatory of Human Rights, within the scope of the formation of a worldwide solidarity cord, and of the commemorations of the 70 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 40 years of Portugal's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

In February 2019, a program evocative of the 1969 Earthquake was organized in Sagres and Lagos, whose inaugural session took place in the fortress of Sagres, with the presence of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. In April of that year, the Communist Party criticized the delays in the work of Corpo A, and the fact that the process for the installation of the center had not yet started, associating these delays with the government's budgetary restrictions. In May of that year, the municipality of Vila do Bispo launched the Bishop Go mobile application, with information on various points of interest in the municipality, including the Sagres fort. In October, the art exhibition Peregrinação II – Codes for Travelers was organized at the Fortress of Sagres, based on the Códice Casanatense, a 16th-century book on travel. On 12 November, a Eucharist was celebrated in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça in honor of the 500th anniversary of the creation of the parish and parish of Sagres, with a plaque commemorating this event being unveiled.

In January 2020, the Portuguese Environment Agency announced that it would spend around 27 million euros on works to defend monuments against the effects of climate change, including the Fortress of Sagres, where the stabilization of the cliff next to the western bastion was planned.