Fort of Santa Cruz (Oran)
| Santa Cruz Fort | |
|---|---|
| Part of Government of Algeria | |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | Seventeenth century |
| Built by | Ottomans and Spaniards |
| Materials | Stone and brick |
| Battles/wars | Ottomans, Spaniards and French |
Santa Cruz Fort is one of the three forts in Oran, the second largest port city of Algeria; the other two forts are Fort de la Moune at the western end of the port and Fort Saint-Philippe, a replacement of the old castle of the Saints known in Spanish as Castillo de los Santos, at the centre of Oran. The three forts are connected by tunnels. Fort Santa Cruz was built between 1577 and 1604 by the Spaniards on the Pic d’Aidour above Gulf of Oran in the Mediterranean Sea, at an elevation of above 400 metres (1,312 ft). In 1831, the French occupied Oran and the fort.
A small chapel, known as the Chapel of Santa Cruz, stands close to the fort. This chapel has been refurbished with a tower, which has a huge statue of the
Geography
The fort is located at a height of about 400 metres (1,300 ft) on
History
The Ottomans built the first fort on the site. After the Spaniards defeated the Ottomans in the sixteenth Century, they rebuilt Fort Santa Cruz. The Spaniards ruled Oran for about 300 years till 1792. In the past, the fortress of Santa Cruz accommodated the Oran city governors.[6]
The fort city under Spanish rule continued to grow, requiring enlargement of the city walls. In spite of the improved fortifications, the city was the object of repeated attacks. Notable in this regard was when Moroccan Sharif Moulay Ismail tried to force his way past the defenses in 1707, only to see his army decimated. Oran was also hit by an earthquake in 1791, when most of the city was damaged and the Spanish who had ruled from 1509 evacuated. The French then occupied the city in 1831.[7]
Santacruz was the highest of the three forts erected by the Spanish above the town of Oran which was a dominantly Muslim town with buildings of mostly Moorish architecture. To show their dominance of "Crescent above the Cross", the local people built the Marabut chapel, opposite to the fort at a higher elevation. This chapel was crowned with a crescent on a white cupola. Spaniards held on here till 1792, after the 1791 earthquake. When the French occupied, the Muslims all migrated into the interior parts of Algeria but many returned later after Abd–el-Khader was defeated.[8]
Architecture
The fort, built between 1577 and 1604, The fortifications of the place were composed of thick and continuous walls of over two and a half kilometers in circumference, surmounted by strong towers spaced between them, with a central castle or kasbah where the Spanish governor established his headquarters. The fort was built with iron, wood, sand, lime and water carried up the hill through winding and difficult paths. It was expanded repeatedly to strengthen the fortifications, the galleries passing underneath the town mounting and descending the various hills.
It has a rainwater storage harvesting system, with the largest tank having a capacity of 300,000 liters.[1]
Santa Cruz chapel
The
Gallery
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Aerial view of the fort and the chapel in 1942. -
Ramparts of the Fort of Santa Cruz. -
Northern front of the fort. -
Fort of Santa Cruz and the whitewashed Notre-Dame de Santa Cruz church in Oran. -
Fort Santa Cruz dominating the city of Oran.
External links
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Santacruz". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ a b Murray, John; Sir Robert Lambert Playfair (1887). Handbook for travellers in Algeria and Tunis, Algiers, Oran, Constantine ... J. Murray. p. 185. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-74179-099-3. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ a b "Oran of lions: The Character and the Beauty". Rahhala Arab countries on a shoe string. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "Santa Cruz, Oran". ciao.fr. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Vitaminedz. "The fort of Santa Cruz". Trekearth. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ISBN 0-7166-0097-8. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ The tricolor on the atals. the University of California. 1855. p. 103. Retrieved 2010-11-12.