The fortress was built out of granite between 1658 and 1662 on the hill of A Pedisqueira, occupied since ancient times by a convent dedicated to St. Francis (1635) which was first given the name of San João da Veiga under the administration of the Knights Templar, until 1310. The Dukes of Bragança were the first patrons of the fortress. Developments in firearms and new military strategies meant it was necessary to create this new structure to protect the city, which until then had been surrounded by the obsolete mediaeval walls. It was built in the shape of a four-pointed star by Rodrigo de Castro, Count of Mesquitela, based on the Vauban construction system. This is from where the French troops were put to flight in 1809, liberating the city of Chaves. It then served as the barracks for the Tenth Hunters Battalion until the 1970s, and now, apart from containing the church of São Francisco, has a hotel.