[1] Construction of the present lighthouse began in 1889, during the governorship of Rafael Jácome Lopes de Andrade (1888–1890).

[1] The present lighthouse was completed in 1896,[3] and has twice been reconstructed and improved: in 1932, and between 1948 and 1949 after the Japanese occupation of Portuguese Timor.

[2] In the early 1950s, the adjacent area, informally named "Bairro do Farol", was developed in accordance with the 1951 General Urban Plan of Díli, as a residential area for high level colonial public servants and Europeans.

[1][2] Currently, the lighthouse consists of a 17 m (56 ft) octagonal metal skeletal tower rising from a massive masonry base, with a lantern and gallery at its peak.

Access to the lantern is by an exposed stairway spiralling around a central column.