This fort developed from a line of bastions, opened during the period of the Succession Crisis of 1580, between 1579 and 1581, order by the Corregedor of the Açores, Ciprião de Figueiredo e Vasconcelos from a defensive plan elaborated by Tommaso Benedetto.

[1] The line served as coastal defences for consistent attacks by privateers and pirates, during this period of exploration and support of Atlantic colonies of North America.

[9] In 1938, a process was opened to transfer the property to the Ministry of Finances, but, was suspended in 1941 during the context of World War II, when it was expropriated for military use.

The fort is located over a dominant section of the beach, consisting of a fortification destined for the defence of the coastal anchorage, from pirates and privateers that frequented this region of the Atlantic Ocean.

It is situated in an isolated basalt, arriba, originating from the volcanic eruption of the Santa Bárbara Massif, at sea level.