Castle «Santa Cruz»:Shrine of the Virgin of Oran(algeria)

aek081969 (52)in #history • 6 years ago

Oran is an Algerian city on the west coast of the country on the Mediterranean, the capital of the west of the country and second largest city after Algiers. The city's port is an important economic center nautical.

The castle of the church "Santa Cruz", which rises above the slopes of the high mountain of Marjago, which protects Oran and its environs, dates back to the Spanish era in the 17th century, and despite centuries of its construction, it still retains its luster and its response to all the elements of nature. Over the past few years has become a shrine for hundreds of families and foreign tourists as well as for expatriates and visitors to the capital of the west.

The fortress of Santa Cruz is one of the most important historical and historical monuments in the state of Oran. It was built by the Spanish between 1577-1604 and is situated at the top of Mount Magajo. Its strategic location has allowed it to maintain its shape despite the years. The fort is a historic tourist destination for many tourists inside and outside the country. .
Santa Cruz is a charm that touches civilizations The most important monuments in the coastal city of Oran, west of Algiers, are the fortress of Santa Cruz, a large castle on the highest mountain in the city, a mountain called Marjago, built by the Spaniards to protect the city.
In this castle, we find an amazingly beautiful palace, a temple and a statue of the Virgin.

Santa Cruz was included in the perimeter of the Murdjajou massif classified as a natural site by the Governor General (French epoch) on 6 October 1950.

The second chapel of Santa Cruz, erected in 1873

In 1950, the site of the project of the architect Lesaint, plans a cloister and a small Romanesque basilica dome slightly crushed, in the presence of Bishop Roncalli, apostolic nuncio, and future Pope John XXIII. This project, approved by the Navy, replaced a more grandiose and overwhelming that had been imagined by the Bishop of Oran Bishop Durand in 1942. The admiralty had formally opposed this first project that disfigured the profile of the hill.

The former chapel at the foot of the bell tower was demolished in 1951 at the beginning of the construction of the cloister, which ended in 1956. On Sunday, May 3, 1959, the bishop of Oran Bertrand Lacaste solemnly blessed the first stone of the basilica; it was an ancient Christian stele from Albulae (Ain Temouchent). The "basilica" was completed at the beginning of November of the same year, and dedicated to worship on November 8, 1959.

Since its inauguration, more than a century and a half ago, "Our Lady of Salvation", also called "the Virgin of Oran", attracts many faithful and curious, in thanks for her intercession in the judgment of the cholera epidemic of 1849 or to ask him to fulfill their wishes. The site offers a remarkable view of the bay and the city of Oran to the east, and the bay of Mers el-Kebir northwest.

The statue of the Virgin who was present in the chapel transferer in Nîmes,
An ancient statue of the Virgin, in bronze, was placed in a room on the edge of the cloister, closed by a gate, to protect it.

The local authorities are keen to take care of the castle as a tourist attraction. An official in the Directorate of Culture in the province said that "the castle is among the archaeological evidence that local authorities attach to the utmost importance, pending restoration in an artistic manner that preserves its urban privacy.

For more than a century and a half the Holy Lady also known as the Virgin of Oran attracts many interested, its location offers a wonderful view of the Bay and the city of Oran.

The chapel is a national monument on December 17, 2008