Fort Santa Cruz, Oran
Encyclopedia
Fort Santa Cruz, Oran 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 St. 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 (1,312.3 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 Virgin Mary, said to be a replica of that at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseilles, styled as Notre Dame de la Salut de Santa Cruz.
, the strategic military port of Oran. Beneath the castle, on the hill slope, is the chapel of the Blessed Virgin, which is a Catholic
pilgrimage site.
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.
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.
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 trials. It was expanded repeatedly to strengthen the fortifications by cutting deep into the hill, following repeated enemy attacks. There is a subterranean communication between all the forts, the galleries passing underneath the town mounting and descending the various hills. Permission is to be obtained to explore this passage from the Colonel of Engineers.
It has a rainwater storage harvesting system, with the largest tank having a capacity of 300,000 liters.
epidemic
had affected the people of Oran, in 1847. They sought blessings of Virgin Mary to protect the city from the epidemic. The entire population implored the Blessed Virgin to bless the place with rain, where after the rain gods obliged and the Oran town and the region was saved from the epidemic of cholera. As a tribute to this miracle, a chapel was built on the hill at the foot of the fort of Santa Cruz. This chapel is named as the Santa Cruz Church, which is now considered as the "Protector and Patron Saint" of the town. In commemoration of this event, every year Ascension Day is observed when people of Oran and surrounding areas pay homage by climbing up the mountain trail to the chapel as a pilgrimage.
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, the second largest port city of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
; the other two forts are Fort de la Moune at the western end of the port and Fort St. Philippe, a replacement of the old castle of the Saints known in Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
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
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
on the Pic d’Aidour above Gulf of Oran in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, at an elevation of above 400 metres (1,312.3 ft). In 1831, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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 Virgin Mary, said to be a replica of that at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseilles, styled as Notre Dame de la Salut de Santa Cruz.
Geography
The fort is located at a height of about 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) on Mount Murdjadjo, also known as Pic d’Aidour, from where one has a spectacular view of Mers-el-KebirMers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran, in the Oran Province.-History:Originally a Roman port, Mers-el-Kébir became an Almohad naval arsenal in the 12th century, fell under the rulers of Tlemcen in the 15th century, and eventually became a...
, the strategic military port of Oran. Beneath the castle, on the hill slope, is the chapel of the Blessed Virgin, which is a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
pilgrimage site.
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.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.
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
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
. 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
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
on a white cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. 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.
Architecture
The fort, built between 1577 and 1604, occupies a strategic location. 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 kasbahKasbah
A kasbah or qassabah is a type of medina, Islamic city, or fortress .It was a place for the local leader to live and a defense when a city was under attack. A kasbah has high walls, usually without windows. Sometimes, they were built on hilltops so that they could be more easily defended...
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 trials. It was expanded repeatedly to strengthen the fortifications by cutting deep into the hill, following repeated enemy attacks. There is a subterranean communication between all the forts, the galleries passing underneath the town mounting and descending the various hills. Permission is to be obtained to explore this passage from the Colonel of Engineers.
It has a rainwater storage harvesting system, with the largest tank having a capacity of 300,000 liters.
Santa Cruz chapel
The Santa Cruz Chapel was built by Bishop of Oran at the place where he had carried the statue of the Virgin Mary in a procession, followed by the people of the city, to the Oran hill, when a choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
had affected the people of Oran, in 1847. They sought blessings of Virgin Mary to protect the city from the epidemic. The entire population implored the Blessed Virgin to bless the place with rain, where after the rain gods obliged and the Oran town and the region was saved from the epidemic of cholera. As a tribute to this miracle, a chapel was built on the hill at the foot of the fort of Santa Cruz. This chapel is named as the Santa Cruz Church, which is now considered as the "Protector and Patron Saint" of the town. In commemoration of this event, every year Ascension Day is observed when people of Oran and surrounding areas pay homage by climbing up the mountain trail to the chapel as a pilgrimage.