Guia Fortress
Positioned on the top of Guia Hill, the highest of the seven hills of Macau, the Guia Fortress is a historical military fort, chapel, and lighthouse complex. The Fort was built to defend Macau against any possible attacks from the sea. This was also after Netherlands's unsuccessful capture of the area.In 1622, there was already a military structure on the site. Construction of Guia Fortress began in September 1637 and was completed in March 1638, when Domingos da Camara Noronha was the Commanding Officer. Inside the Guia Fortres stand Guia Chapel, built around 1622, and Guia Lighthouse, dating from 1865. Guia Fortress, along with the chapel and lighthouse are symbols of Macau's maritime, military and missionary past.
Originally, the Guia Fortress contained barracks, a water cistern, ammunition and equipment stores, the commander's house, and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guia. Today, the Guia Fortress’ most prominent feature is the lighthouse. The Lighthouse has stood on the peak of Guia Hill for over 140 years and is the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coast and the oldest in the Far East. Near the lighthouse is the chapel which contains an image of the Virgin Mary, a few antique pictures, and vestiges of paintings that date back to the construction of the chapel in 1626. Also nearby is a post where signals are hoisted to warn of an approaching typhoon. The Lighthouse is 91 meters high and has a light which can be seen for around 20 miles in clear weather. A lantern is installed on top of the circular observation platform, and the light transmitter is reached by a flight of spiral stairs inside.
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