| Santa Cruz Fort | |
|---|---|
| Part of Oran | |
| Oran, Algeria | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Fort_Santa_Cruz_Oran1.jpg) Gateway to the Fort of Santa Cruz in Oran. | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:ChapelleSantaCruz2.jpeg) Notre-Dame de Santa Cruz | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Algeria_location_map.svg)  Santa Cruz Fort | |
| Coordinates | 35°42′25″N 0°39′55″W / 35.707026°N 0.665374°W |
| Type | Fort |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | 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 Virgin Mary, said to be a replica of that at Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseilles, styled as Notre-Dame du Salut de Santa Cruz.[1][2][3][4]
- ^ "Santacruz". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ham, Anthony; Nana Luckham; Anthony Sattin (2007). Algeria. Lonely Planet. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-74179-099-3. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "Oran of lions: The Character and the Beauty". Rahhala Arab countries on a shoe string. Retrieved 2010-11-11.