Fort of Santa Cruz
Fort of Santa Cruz is one of three forts in Oran, Algeria's second-largest port city; the other two forts are Fort de la Moune at the harbor's western end and Fort Saint-Philippe, a replacement for the old Saints Castle, known in Spanish as Castillo de los Santos, in the city center. Tunnels connect the three fortresses. The Spaniards erected Fort Santa Cruz between 1577 and 1604 on the Pic d'Aidour above the Gulf of Oran in the Mediterranean Sea, at an elevation of more than 400 meters (1,312 ft). The French took over Oran and the fort in 1831.
Close to the fort is a small chapel known as the Chapel of Santa Cruz. This chapel, stylized as Notre-Dame du Salut de Santa Cruz, has been renovated with a tower that houses a massive statue of the Virgin Mary, thought to be a replica of that at Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseilles. The fort is situated at a height of around 400 meters (1,300 feet) on Mount Murdjadjo, also known as Pic d'Aidour, with views of Mers-el-Kebir, Oran's strategic military port. The chapel of the Blessed Virgin, located on the hill slope beneath the castle, is a Catholic pilgrimage destination.
As one of the most beautiful historical sites in Algeria, the Fort of Santa Cruz was constructed between 1577 and 1604, the fortifications of the area consisted of massive and continuous walls stretching over two and a half kilometers in the circle, topped by strong towers placed between them, and centered on a central fortress or kasbah where the Spanish ruler established his headquarters. Iron, wood, sand, lime, and water were used to construct the fort, which was brought up the hill by winding and steep pathways. It was continually enlarged to bolster the fortifications, with galleries flowing beneath the town and climbing and descending the various slopes.
The Santa Cruz Chapel was built by the Bishop of Oran on the site where he had carried the statue of the Virgin Mary in a procession, followed by the people of Oran, to the Oran hill during a cholera epidemic in 1847. They asked for the Virgin Mary's blessing to preserve the city from the pandemic. The entire people begged the Blessed Virgin to shower rain on them. The rain rescued the town of Oran and the surrounding countryside from a cholera pandemic. A chapel was built on the hill at the foot of the Santa Cruz fort as a memorial to this miracle. The Santa Cruz Church is the name of this chapel. It was regarded as the Protector of the town. To commemorate this incident, every year until Algeria's independence in 1962, the residents of Oran and the surrounding territories paid honor to the Virgin Mary by climbing the mountain trail to the chapel as a pilgrimage.
Location: Oran, Algeria
