São Sebastião Museum

São Sebastião Museum
Museu São Sebastião

Forte de São Sebastião
Established	1575 (fortress) late 1970s (musenm)
Standort	São Tomé, São Tomé Island, São Tomé and Príncipe
Typ	National Museum
Collections	culture, local, artistry

São Sebastião Museum is a museum and fort in São Tomé and Príncipe in the city of São Tomé in the southernmost part of Ana Chaves Bay. It contains religious art and colonial-era artifacts.

The museum was opened on July 11, 1976, one of the first in the nation.

History

The fort was first built in 1575 and was the first fort in the island of São Tomé.

A lighthouse was built in 1866, it was rebuilt in 1928 and was restored in 1994.

The fort was rebuilt in the late 1950s with a project by the architect Luís Benavente who was colonial governor at the time. In 1960, it was under the Command of the Provincial Maritime Defense.

Characteristics

The fort is square shaped with pentagolan brathwait in the vertical edges in the Vauban style.

By the fort are the three statues of the discoverers of the island including João de Santarém, Pêro Escobar and João de Paiva. These statues were moved from the squares and gardens of the city after the nation became independent.

Collections

The museum highlights African and Portuguese history. In one room, voodoo related culture are displayed. In one room, sacred Catholic art are displayed.

Contemporary art paintings by Manuela Vigôço from 1945 are displayed.

A permanent exposition titled Casa das tortugas (House of turtles) which features sea turtles since 2004.

Photos and documents from the Batepá massacre which happened in 1953 are displayed in the museum.

Further reading

• Dominique Gallet, Sao Tomé-et-Principe : les îles du milieu du monde, Paris, Karthala, 2008 (new revised edition), p. 234 ISBN 978-2-8111-0025-4

External links

• Forte de São Sebastião at Fortalezas.org Template:Pt icon
• Photo of the part at the Institute of Tropical Scientific Institute (IICT). Template:Pt icon