“In the middle of the 15th century, the Torre do Capitão was built, considered to be the first stone house in Madeira.
The initiative belongs to Garcia Homem de Sousa, for defence in the bloody conflicts that the discoverer’s son-in-law João Gonçalves Zarco would have kept with his brothers-in-law.
It is a fortified residence built in Santo Amaro, outside the urban area of Funchal.
The medieval-style, quadrangular plan was probably the oldest military construction outside the European continent.
The Torre do Capitão integrates a group composed by the Santo Amaro Chapel, built in 1460, also by Garcia Homem de Sousa and the pilgrim’s house.
Over time, the Tower lost its military and residential function and became degraded and was adapted for agricultural purposes.
In 1995 the complex was considered by the government of Madeira as heritage of regional interest.
At the end of 2019 the works of recovery and adaptation of the structures for the creation of the Núcleo Histórico e Museológico de Santo Amaro, Torre do Capitão were completed.”
Transcribed from the minute 600th anniversary programme of 23 May 2020 – RTP
A Mandatory stop.
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Accessibility
♿🔴-Accessibility: Difficult (Because of the floor, it causes the wheels of the equipment to get stuck)
