Sundial at Fortaleza de Sagres, Portugal
Posted by: 
arby101ca
N 37° 00.035 W 008° 56.892
29S E 504608 N 4094938
In the old fort, Fortaleza de Sagres, is an old sundial. The dial is on the wall of central fortified turret overlooking the windrose
Waymark Code: WM880R
Location: Faro, Portugal
Date Posted: 02/17/2010
Views: 19
The Fortaleza was commissioned by Henry the Navigator to protect this strategic point. Sir Francis Drake trashed it in 1587, one of the incidents leading to the Spanish Armada. The central turret was added when the fort was rebuilt in 1793. The fort has been rebuilt as recently amid controversy. The monumental memorial was not approved, the museum is almost empty and the legend of Henry the Navigators school for navigators discounted by lack of historical evidence.
The sundial is a simple horizontal engrave stone sundial. The gnomon is missing but the stone to support a rod gnomon was evident when we visited in 2001. In February 2009 we returned and found the specific support stone had been broken and a substitute is held in place with rocks. Why can't people respect historical artifacts. Without a past, there is no future.
The famous wind rose can be seen below. The revisionist historians are debunking this as a feature dating back to Henry's time. The best documentation seems to be drawings and descriptions in Sir Francis Drake. He found no school, no windrose and no sundial.
Sundial Type: Horizontal - Flat base, Ground or Pedestal mounted dial plate
Related Web Site: Not listed
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