City gates

Scot Free III
Frank & Anne
Fri 23 Aug 2024 13:44
On leaving the fort, walked to the square Praça Gonçalo Velho Cabral, with three arches of the original(1783) gates to the city which once stood by the old harbour wall. The statue commemorates the man after whom the square is named, supposedly the discoverer of São Miguel and Santa Maria.

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The square was the very small harbour in the 18th and early 19th centuries but was very significant for the export of oranges.

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Land was reclaimed and pushed the sea back to allow for the main promenade road to be built in 1947.