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Fort Santo Estevão
Fort Santo Estevão
Fortaleza de Santo Estevão
Goa in India
	Walls of Santo Estevão.
	Fort Santo Estevão Fort Santo Estevão
Coordinates	15°32′10″N 73°57′15″E / 15.53605°N 73.95425°E
Site information
Condition	Good
Site history
Built by	Portuguese Empire

Fort Santo Estevão (Fortaleza de Santo Estevão in Portuguese) is a military structure erected in Santo Estevão Island, in Goa, by the Portuguese.

Built on the highest point of Santo Estevão Island, it was originally built as a watchtower to guard the Mandovi River, in 1550.^[1] It was the easternmost defensive structure in the Velhas Conquistas. After the first Maratha incursions against Goa, in 1666-1668, during which they destroyed a local church, The structure was expanded into a small fort.^[1]^[2] In 1683, the Marathas attacked Goa and managed to breach into the island of Santo Estevão because the corps of auxiliaries tasked with defending it fled from their enemy.^[3] The Marathas captured the fort and massacred its garrison.^[4]

After the annexation of the Novas Conquistas, the fort lost its military purpose.^[1] It was abandoned in 1811 by decree of the Viceroy of India Dom Bernardo José Maria da Silveira e Lorena.^[5]

Restoration works were undertaken on the fort in 2012.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Nuno Miguel de Pinho Lopes: O Sistema Defensivo de Goa, Universidade de Coimbra, 2017, pp.111-120.
^ José Nicolau da Fonseca: An Historical and Archæological Sketch of the City of Goa: Preceded by a Short Statistical Account of the Territory of Goa, Thacker & Company, limited, 1878, p.288.
^ Joaquim Heliodoro da Cunha Rivara, Charles J. Borges: Goa and the Revolt of 1787, Concept Publishing Company, 1996, p.225.
^ António Lopes Mendes: A India portugueza: breve descrupção das possessões portuguezas na Asia, dividida em dois volumes, illustrados com 382 gravures e 7 mappas, , Volume 1, Imprensa nacional, 1886, p.63.
^ Joaquim Pedro Celestino Soares: Bosquejo das possessoes portuguezas no Oriente ou resumo de algumas derrotas da India e da China, Imprensa nacional, 1851, p.32.