[2] On August 17, 1645, the site witnessed the Battle of Casa Forte, fought to free ladies from Pernambuco who were imprisoned by the Dutch in the big house of Anna Paes' mill.

To commemorate the victory, a plaque was installed at the site with the names of the liberators: João Fernandes Vieira, André Vidal de Negreiros, Henrique Dias and Antônio Filipe Camarão.

In 1810, the mill was acquired by Father José Inácio Ribeiro de Abreu e Lima, who demolished the old big house and built a new residence on the same site, but later abandoned it.

The old chapel of the mill, built in 1672, remained in ruins and its images were transferred to the Parish Church of Our Lady of Health, in Poço da Panela, until 1909, when it was restored.

The church is fronted by the Casa Forte Square, which was designed by architect Burle Marx and contains several species of tropical plants, including some from the Amazon.