The Castle of San Andrés or Tower of San Andrés (''Castillo de San Andrés'' or ''Torre de San Andrés'') is located in the village of San Andrés (

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). This

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

served to protect the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

from

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

attacks.

History

In the 16th century, the King

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

sent the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

military engineer

Leonardo Torriani Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard. People Notable people with the name include: * Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist, ...

to fortify the coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife,Puertos pondrá carteles donde estaban las fortificaciones
/ref> among the most important places to protect was the ''Valle de Salazar'' (Salazar Valley) which is now the town of San Andrés. Most researchers agree that the castle was built in 1706, although there are writings that mention it in 1697. Since the 17th century, it was considered necessary to defend the beach of San Andrés and to protect ships from pirate attacks. During the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797, the castle played a very important role as shots from the castle destroyed the mast and riggings of the ''

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describe ...

'', the ship of Admiral Horacio Nelson. The castle was built adjacent to the mouth of the stream of the

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, but the other half is still standing. On November 28, 1967, it was declared a

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, the April 22, 1949 "''

Patrimonio Histórico Español Patrimonio histórico español is a term for Spain's heritage, including National Heritage Sites. The Ministry of Culture has a department, the ''Subdirección General de Protección del Patrimonio Histórico'' ("Bureau of Protection of Historical H ...

''" and in 1999 was declared of Cultural Interest in the Canary Islands. The castle named for San Andrés, and is a symbol of San Andrés and

Anaga Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the sou ...

. it is on the Spanish ''Lista Roja'' (Red List) as it is at risk of further deterioration.

Gallery

File:Castillo de San Andrén 1895-1900.jpg, Castle of San Andrés, 1895-1900 File:Castillo de san andres zona.JPG, Protection area of the castle as Cultural Interest File:Festungsturm in San Andrés.JPG, Current status of the castle

References

External links

History of Castillo de San Andrés, Government of Canary Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo De San Andres Buildings and structures in Tenerife Castles in Canary Islands Government buildings completed in 1706 Infrastructure completed in 1706 1706 establishments in the Spanish Empire 18th-century fortifications Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife