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The Castle of San Luis de Bocachica, also called Fort St. Louis, was a military fortress that defended Cartagena, Colombia. The Spanish built it in the 17th century. After it suffered war damage in the 18th century, they erected a new coastal fortification, the Castle of San Fernando on the same site.
The site on the Island of Tierra Bomba controlled deep-water access to Cartagena's harbour by the channel of Bocachica (or "small entrance" as opposed to
The Castle of San Luis de Bocachica, also called Fort St. Louis, was a military fortress that defended Cartagena, Colombia. The Spanish built it in the 17th century. After it suffered war damage in the 18th century, they erected a new coastal fortification, the Castle of San Fernando on the same site.
The site on the Island of Tierra Bomba controlled deep-water access to Cartagena's harbour by the channel of Bocachica (or "small entrance" as opposed to Bocagrande
Bocagrande is a neighborhood in the city of Cartagena de Indias in Bolívar, Colombia. It was designed with first-world standards, such as residential areas of restricted access, and a separate plant for processing waste water. It is located ato ...
, the "big entrance").
History
Work on the fort started in 1646 by the engineer Juan de Somovilla and its name was related with the governor Luis Fernandez de Cordoba. The Castle was attacked several times with the most famous being the French Raid on Cartagena in 1697 and the British Attack on Cartagena in 1741.1697 attack
During theWar of the League of Augsburg
The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
, French troops and pirates, attacked the castle on 13 April 1697 and took it on 15 April 1697, but the castle was not destroyed because of the heroic defense of Don Sancho Jimeno and because of the strategic position.
1741 attack
During theWar of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear was fought by Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and History of Spain (1700–1808), Spain between 1739 and 1748. The majority of the fighting took place in Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada and the Caribbean ...
, Cartagena was sieged by English troops. On 13 March 1741 the British navy captured and severely damaged the castle, and then put it on fire, destroying it completely, during the retreat.Ford, Douglas. Admiral Vernon and the Navy: A Memoir and Vindication, London, MCMVII, p.153.
In 1753, the building of a new fortress started, the Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica, by the engineer Antonio de Arévalo
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...
, over the ruins of the old castle. The fortress was completed in 1759. It continues today as an important tourist attraction.
References
Bibliography
* {{coord, 10.319313, -75.581205, display=title Forts in Colombia Buildings and structures in Cartagena, Colombia Spanish colonial fortifications in Cartagena, Colombia Tourist attractions in Cartagena, Colombia