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Fortress of San Damián

Ribadeo, Mariña Oriental, Lugo

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Fortress of San Damián

Monument · Ribadeo, Mariña Oriental, Lugo

Fort San Damián was designed in 1605, already in the 17th century, to protect, at the Porcillán shipyard beside the Ribadeo estuary, the galleons of the Armada de Indias from the Dutch threat, and was completed in 1624 under the command of the marquis of San Damián. Abandoned in 1638, it was reduced to ruins by the English in 1719, during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. On its ruins the present castle was built from 1743, designed by the military engineer Juan Vergel and funded by the Real Hacienda and several neighbouring parishes and towns, among them Ribadeo and Mondoñedo. Dismantled in 1809, it remained abandoned until the state handed it over to the municipality of Ribadeo in 1969, and it was rebuilt between 1989 and 1992; today, overlooking the mouth of the Eo, it hosts exhibitions and cultural events.

Photo: Unknown author (Public domain)

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