It's said that when the Dutch almirant Pieter Pieterzoon Hiyn planned to attack the island in 1628, the invasion did not consummate due to the vision of numerous troops in the island, a miracle of the saint padroeira do Morro de São Paulo, commemorated on the 08th of September. The first historical records register the existence of a chapel with the same name in the beginning of the XVII century, and in a map of 1759 João de Abreu e Carvalho describes it approximately located where the Lighthouse is today.

The actual N. Sra da Luz Church is located in the plaza with the same name and it was concluded in 1845 according to date on the façade, and keeps relics from XVII and XVIII centuries, as well as the holy images and the altars made of cedro in baroque style. Besides the masses and religious parties for the locals, the church staircase is a place to rest after one climbs the slope arriving from the dock, or a seat to watch the movement of the N. Sra da Luz Plaza, the starting point to all the alleys and plazas of the town.

Considered as one of the greatest defensive architeture sites of Brazil, the Forte de Morro de São Paulo still conserves 678 m from its curtain of walls and ruins, today protected by the National Historical Patrimony.

The construction of the Fortress itself was initiated in 1630 under the orders of then General Governor Diogo Luiz of Oliveira, in order to protect the called ""barra falsa da Baía de Todos os Santos" strategic entrance to the Itaparica Channel and the Forte de Santo Antônio (current Farol da Barra) from the attack of enemies - and also to protect the Tinharé Channel, essential in the delivery of goods from the major centers (Boipeba, Cairu, Camamu and Itacaré) to supply the capital, Salvador.

In 1728 D. Vasco Fernandes Cesar of Menezes, the Conde of Sabugosa, initiated the project of renovation of the Old Fortress. The construction was concluded in 1730, adding the Forte da Ponta and the walls to the defensive set. The victory of Portugal over the French Almirant Villegaignon's squad was one of the most remarkable episodes of the history of the Fortress and the colonial history of Brazil.

The Fortress is magical in the sunset. The old ruins seem not to remember any of the old explosions, but the ones of the little dolphins silhouettes in each dive against the sunset. To vastness of the sea mixes gradually to the colors of the heaven full of stars… and the calm waters mark the rhythm of a lazy melody under the palm trees in the salty breeze. This is the Forte de Morro de São Paulo.