St. Sebastiao
Encyclopedia
Island of Mozambique
The Island of Mozambique lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay. It has a population of around 14,000 people and is part of Nampula Province.-History:...
is the oldest complete fort still standing in sub-Saharan Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Constructions by the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
began in 1558 and it took about 50 years to complete.
Immediately beyond the fort is the recently restored Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte
Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte is located on the most eastern tip of the Island of Mozambique which sits of the coast of Mozambique in Africa. The Chapel is situated outside the Fort São Sebastião from which it can be reached through a gate....
, built in 1522 which is considered to be the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere. It is also one of the best examples of Manueline
Manueline
The Manueline, or Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century, incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral...
vaulted architecture in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.