It was on this atoll that the discoverers, in 1419, took refuge before stepping onto its neighboring island – the Island of Madeira.

In 1903, the island was sold to citizen Great Britain, and Portugal lost his control and sovereignty over the island support in the Royal Charter.

In 1996, the Portuguese authorities showed their interest to reclaim the island from its British owner which, however, remained unfulfilled. Since 2000, the ownership right of the island was acquired by an individual Portuguese citizen. Since then, the owner of the island has been pressurized by the Portuguese governors to hands off his ownership over the property by selling and giving the custody of the island to them.

Given the situation of trying the unlawful occupation by the Portuguese state full member of an international organization of European Union, the prince is asking the United Nations and the international community will help against the occupying country, the Royal Charter letter is deposited in London and is recognized by the Portuguese state, in 2006.

VIEWPOINT and ANCIENT FORT of ST. JOSÉ

VISITORS WELCOME (at own risk)

Inside this natural rock formation are several rooms of the ancient Fort of St. Jose which helped guard Funchal Harbour for at least two centuries.

The fort was built on a small island, but much of it was destroyed in the 19th century when the harbour wall was built. What survived was sold under Royal Charter in 1903 thus an independent State.

The viewpoint and fort are now owned by Doom Renato Barros, hence his title of Prince of the Principality of Pontinha.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome to help with restoration work.

A nail dating from the time of Christ’s crucifixion has been found at a remote fort believed to have once been a stronghold of the Knights Templar.

The four-inch long nail is thought to be one of thousands used in crucifixions across the Roman empire.

Archaeologists believe it dates from either the first or second century AD.

The nail was found last summer in a decorated box in a fort on the tiny isle of Ilheu de Pontinha, just off the coast of Madeira.

Pontinha was thought to have been held by the Knights Templar, the religious order that was part of the Christian forces which occupied Jerusalem during the Crusades in the 12th century.

The knights were part of the plot of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code.

Bryn Walters, an archaeologist, said the iron nail’s remarkable condition suggested it had been handed with extreme care, as if it was a relic.

“It dates from the first to second centuries,” he told the Daily Mirror.

While one would expect the surface to be “pitted and rough” he said on this nail the surface was smooth.

That suggested that many people had handled it over the centuries, with the acid on their hands giving it a “peculiar finish”.

Christopher Macklin of the Knights Templar of Britannia said the discovery was “momentous”.

He said the original Knights Templar may have thought it was one of the nails used in Christ’s crucifixion.

The nail was found together with three skeletons and three swords.

One of the swords had the Knight Templar’s cross inscribed on it.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

A nail from the time of Christ’s crucifixion which was hidden by the same knights who featured in The Da Vinci Code has been found in a dig.

The four-inch Roman relic, stored in an ornate box, was uncovered by archaeologists working at a fort thought to have been a former Knights Templar stronghold.

It was buried with three skeletons and three swords, including one with the religious order’s cross on its blade, on the tiny island of Ilheu de Pontinha, off Madeira.

The iron nail is of the type used in thousands of crucifixions – but it is special. Archaeologist Bryn Walters said: “It dates from the 1st to 2nd centuries. You’d expect the surface to be pitted and rough after so long. But this was smooth.

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“It looks like it had been handled by a lot of people over a long period of time and the acid from their hands have given it a peculiar finish.”

Yesterday Christopher Macklin of the Knights Templar of Britannia described last summer’s find as “momentous”.

He said evidence the nail had been handled a lot “indicates it was of great interest to many people”. He believes the original Knights Templar thought it was a genuine artefact from Christ’s crucifixion.

They occupied Jerusalem during the Crusades a thousand years after Christ, and claimed to be guardians of the Holy Grail, the cross and other relics. The Da Vinci Code portrays them as a modern secret society.

Source: News of Mirror.co.uk

More than a month a group of Arabs visited the Forte São José.

They were excited about their story, told from the discovery of the visit of the island of Madeira.

Visiting the center of rock, Forte São José where they were served a port gold in ceramic bowls, excited by the heat of the nectar and icy bottles of Alvarinho of Monção, showed interest in the acquisition and the Carta Regia deposited in London under the auspices of public international law.

We exchanged contacts to build a new and sincere friendship.

There are very few days, the same group of Arabs, after the acquisition will intensify, forcing it to set a price.
The price given was 150.000.000.00, and the supply at the time was close enough. Currently there are negotiations, and the price is fixed.

It is case for saying that the Forte São José costs about 150 Cristiano Ronaldo, this is the new currency of the island of Madeira, is beginning to be used as currency exchange market. Only the Forte São José does not belong to Portugal and even less to Madeira, which at the time was said that they wanted nothing to know the ‘rock’.

O Principado Ilhéu da Pontinha, o país mais pequeno do mundo consagrado segundo as exigências das Nações Unidas com as prerrogativas da Carta Regia passada pelo Rei de Portugal aquando da alienação do ilhéu da Pontinha vendido pelo Estado português e pago conforme documento do respectivo depósito no Banco de Portugal do mesmo ano, sustentado pelo Direito Internacional Publico, ilhéu este localizado nas seguintes coordenadas 32.38m 472 décimos, Oeste 16.55m 0,57 décimos vem informar a comunidade internacional do seguinte:
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It was both a surprise and delight to be invited by Renato Barros to write this preface for his new book. As a long-stay visitor to Madeira I have learned much about the exciting progress here since 1420 and the excellent development in recent decades. Whilst Zarco and Vaz are rightly the pioneering heroes of this continuing story I quietly hold the view that one day Roman pottery may be found on the banks of the Ribiero Machico.
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AMOR É FOGO QUE ARDE SEM SE VER, escreveu Luiz de Camões e em realidade o amor é invisível, não é radiografável, não é palpável, mas sente-se, vibra, arde porque é ardente, aquece e por vezes queima.

O amor, esse sentimento que vem da mente, que é sobretudo espiritual, encarnado, atrai, apaixona, perdendo-se na noite dos tempos as suas imensas formas e desfechos, uns mais felizes que outros.

Desde sempre, muitos foram os amores nascidos, despertados, vividos no Principado do Ilhéu da Pontinha .

Daí, que uma vez mais, o Principado da Pontinha, no dia 14 de Fevereiro, vai celebrar em grande, o dia dos namorados, pelo que convida todos os enamorados a estarem presentes e a virem recordar o primeiro carinho trocado, ao som das ondas, das gaivotas e assim como que leve brisa a trespassar o coração.

Tenha 16 ou 100 anos, venha reviver o seu amor, no miradouro do Principado. Recordar é viver !
Forte de São José, dia 13 Fevereiro do Ano da Graça de 2008

Anno a Christo Natto, MMVIII

Um dia tive o privilégio de escutar o diálogo entre dois ilhéus através de obsoleto e velho sistema de comunicações, deixado acidentalmente pelo exercito português, aquando da respectiva permanência, tendo aberto as portas ao mundo da ilha grande que fica em frente referidos dois ilhéus.
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Celebrated 500 years (21 August 2008) the city nearest to the Principality of the Islanders Pontinjha these days with major events or in many honors.

We feel however that some historians Portuguese forgotten are some details, may even be deliberate, particularly on the city since the beginning of Funchal city before it was a port and the port could have been anywhere on the edge of town that was then given the name of Funchal.
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