The Castillo de San Julián, also known as Saint Julian's Fort, is a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in Cartagena,

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 ...

. It was built between the 18th and 19th centuries, incorporating a tower which had been built by the British in 1706. The fort remains intact today, but it is in a rather dilapidated state.

History

The Castillo de San Julián is located on and takes its name from the ''Monte de San Julián''. In 1706, the British captured Cartagena during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, and they built a cylindrical tower on the hill. Following the end of the war, the Spanish began to build a fort on the hill in order to protect the mouth of Cartagena's harbour. The new fort incorporated the British tower, and construction took a very long time, being completed in 1883. The fort was used as a military prison during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Today, the fort is still intact but it is in a rather dilapidated state. It is listed on the

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense) and inclu ...

, and is currently owned by

Telefónica Telefónica, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world. It provides fixed and mobile telephony, broadba ...

, who have installed a number of antennas within the fort. The city administration is attempting to acquire and restore the fort.

Layout

The Castillo de San Julián is essentially a

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

ed fort, but it also contains

tenaille A tenaille (archaic tenalia) is an advanced defensive-work, in front of the main defences of a fortress, which takes its name from resemblance, real or imaginary, to the lip of a pair of pincers. It is "from French, literally: tongs, from Late ...

s and

caponier A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...

s, which are typical of

polygonal fort A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerabl ...

s. It is built in

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo De San Julian Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Region of Murcia Buildings and structures completed in 1883 Buildings and structures in Cartagena, Spain San Julian Defunct prisons in Spain San Julian Neoclassical architecture in Spain Towers in Spain