The Castle of San Cristóbal () in

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

(

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) was the first fortification of significance on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

and the main defensive building on Santa Cruz Bay. The central Castle Street is named after this fort. Under the administration of Gov. Álvarez de Fonseca, construction began in 1575 but it was the January 20, 1577 when it entered service. The castle was demolished in 1928 to construct the Plaza de España, with the remains of the castle buried under it for centuries. On June 28, 2006, during the refurbishment of the Plaza of Spain, some remains were later found to belong to the castle. At that time precautionary and protective measures were taken in order to ensure the preservation of the find. There remain only a few walls of the original building on display in a tunnel under the Plaza de España. Today, the castle is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

which houses the famous " Cañón Tigre" (''Tiger Cannon''), which shot a musketball to Rear-Admiral

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

's right arm, which fractured his humerus bone in multiple places on July 25, 1797, the reason why he had his arm amputated.

Construction and use

The castle was the main defensive castle for Santa Cruz. It was constructed in 1575, with construction work starting on 15 December 1575, and the Cabildo moving the artillery there in 1577. The work was started by the then-governor of the island, Juan Alvarez de Fonseca. It was built on a reef in Bias Diaz Cove. The square-shaped building had a rampart at each corner. It was involved in battles against Blake on 30 April 1657; Jennings on 6 November 1706; and Nelson on 25 July 1797. It was also the residence of the Captains General and the Governors, and was the seat of the Military Government.

Destruction

The castle was demolished in 1928. The castle was remembered in the name of "Calle Castillo", Castle Street, in Santa Cruz.

Rediscovery and visitor centre

The Plaza de España was remodeled in 2006, and in June 2006 the remains of the castle were discovered. Due to its historical importance, the designs for the new plaza were modified to incorporate an underground gallery to display the remains, and an outline of the castle was added to the bottom of the plaza's lake. The remains under the Plaza de España are protected. One corner of the castle remains, and can be visited underneath the plaza, along with a small exhibition, operated by

Museos de Tenerife Museums of Tenerife (), originally Autonomous Organization of Museums and Centers of Tenerife (), is an organisation in Tenerife. History The organisation was created by Cabildo de Tenerife in the early 1990s. In 2011 it was renamed from "Organ ...

. On 25 July 2009, the El Tigre cannon was installed in a dedicated room at the centre. The bronze cannon was constructed in Seville in the 18th century, and is long and weighs 2,000kg. It is said to be the cannon that injured Nelson during the

Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797) The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was an amphibious assault by the Royal Navy on the Spanish port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Launched by Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson on 22 July 1797, the assault was defeated, an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo de San Cristobal (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) Buildings and structures completed in 1577 Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz de Tenerife Castles in the Canary Islands Museums in Tenerife Military and war museums in Spain