Forte dos Reis Magos

The Forte dos Reis Magos or Fortaleza dos Reis Magos (Fortress of the Three Wise Men) is a fortress located in the city of Natal in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte.

The fortress was the first milestone of the city – founded on 25 December 1599 – on the right side of the bar of the Potenji River (today near the Newton Navarro Bridge). It received its name based on the date of commencement of its construction, 6 January 1598, at Epiphany Catholic calendar.

Its original construction was in earth to a design of Father Gaspar Samperes. By 1608 it was in need of repair and was rebuilt in stone. The reconstructed fort was completed in 1614 with input from Portuguese engineer Francisco Frias de Mesquita. The completed works have similarities to the Forte Jesus de Mombaça in East Africa, whose dimensions have been compared to the Vitruvian ideals of the human body. The Forte dos Reis Magos is of simpler appearance than its African counterpart.

Text adapted from “Forte dos Reis Magos” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Forte dos Reis Magos ranks #3,669 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #12 of the 80 mapped in Brazil. Founded 1599, it is older than 34% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 755 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,377 times in the last 60 days, more than 71% of the atlas. See how Brazil compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗