La Fortaleza | |
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Palacio de Santa Catalina | |
From top, left to right: Close-up front view of La Fortaleza; wide front view of the palace; view of Calle de la Fortaleza (Fortaleza Street) leading to the palace; close-up back views of the palace within the Walls of Old San Juan and above Paseo de la Princesa from San Juan Bay; and wide aerial, back view of the palace in the historic district of Old San Juan | |
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General information | |
Type | Medieval fortification, Castle, Palace, Mansion |
Architectural style | Fortification, Spanish Renaissance, Neoclassical |
Location | Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Address | 63 Calle Fortaleza, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901 |
Coordinates | 18°27′51″N 66°7′9″W / 18.46417°N 66.11917°W |
Construction started | 1533 |
Completed | 1540 |
Known for | Battle of San Juan (1595) Battle of San Juan (1598) Battle of San Juan (1625) Battle of San Juan (1797) Bombardment of San Juan (1898) |
Website | |
www | |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | vi |
Designated | 1983 (7th session) |
Part of | La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico |
Reference no. | 266 |
Region | The Americas |
Official name | La Fortaleza |
Designated | October 9, 1960[1] |
Reference no. | 66000951 |
Official name | La Fortaleza |
Designated | October 15, 1966[2] |
La Fortaleza (English: The Fortress), also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina[3] (Saint Catherine's Palace), is the official residence and workplace of the governor of Puerto Rico. Located in the historical district of Old San Juan in the capital city of San Juan, it has served as the residence of the governor since the 16th century, making it the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the New World.[4] Built between 1533 and 1540 by orders of Charles I of Spain, the structure was the first fortification constructed by the Spanish on San Juan Islet to defend San Juan Bay, the harbor of Old San Juan. La fortaleza, alongside El Morro, San Cristóbal, El Cañuelo, and other forts part of the Walls of Old San Juan, protected strategically and militarily important Puerto Rico, or La Llave de las Indias (The Key to the Indies),[5] from invasion by competing world powers and harassment by privateers and pirates during the Age of Sail.[6] It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983 as part of La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site.
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