Porto Pim bartizan

Bartizan of Porto Pim
Torre de Vigia do Porto Pim
Faial, Central, Azores in Portugal
The view of the watchtower with the homes along the coastal cliffs of Porto Pim behind it
Coordinates	38°31′28″N 28°37′54.9″W
Type	Castle
Site information
Owner	Portuguese Republic
Operator	Direção Regional de Cultura
Open to the public	Public
Site history
Built	15th century

The Bartizan of Porto Pim (Portuguese: Torre de Vigia do Porto Pim/Guarita of Porto Pim) is a medieval watchtower located in the civil parish of Angústias, in the municipality of Horta.

History

The bartizan was integrated into the complex of fortifications that ringed the coast of Porto Pim, under the coordination of the Fort of São Sebastião.^[1] It was a simple watchtower with the function of guarding the southwest entrance into the bay.^[1]

The watchtower was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1984^[2] and later in 2004.^[3][4]

Architecture

A view of the remnants of the solitary watchtower

It was erected in the extreme western edge of the bay of Porto Pim, addorsed to the hexagonal plan of decorated stone. The structure was implanted in the cliffs at the edge, with walls extending towards the direction of the bay. The bartizan is a hexagonal structure with window surmounted by a pyramidal covering.

References

Notes

1. Atlantic View (2003), p.58
2. Decreto Regulamentar Regional (PDF) (in Portuguese), Diário da República, 31 March 1984
3. Decreto Legislativo Regional (PDF) (in Portuguese), 24 August 2004
4. Noé, Paula (2012), SIPA (ed.), Torre de vigia à entrada do Porto Pim (IPA.00033700/PT072002010043) (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico, retrieved 29 April 2016

Sources

• Faial, Açores: Guia do Património Cultural (in Portuguese), Edição Atlantic View – Actividades Turísticas, Lda., 2003, p. 58, ISBN 972-96057-1-8
• "Fortificações da Baía de Porto Pim", Inventário do Património Imóvel dos Açores/Horta (in Portuguese), Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Portugal, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2016-05-04