In 1588, with the approval of Cardinal Alberto, the Vice-Regal representative, Filippo Terzi initiated construction of the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Queimada, part of a project that also included the building of an artificial port to link the island of Pessegueiro to the mainland.

[1][2] Alexandre Massay took Terzi's place in 1590, when construction of the Fort of Santo Alberto (a project which had been proposed two years previously), began on Pessegueiro.

[1][2] The public works were interrupted in 1598, when Massay was transferred to Vila Nova de Milfontes, where he began building a defensive fort along the sandbar of Mira River.

[1] Between 1983 and 1985, repairs were made to the exterior parapets of the left bastion and central zone (the former port entrance) by the Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN).

The thick masonry walls, constructed using stone wedges, align with the slope and are topped by a semi-circular railing above the surrounding torus.