Fort of Santa Cruz (Horta)

Fort of Santa Cruz
Forte de Santa Cruz
Faial, Azores in Portugal
The main walls of the Fort of Santa Cruz, as seen from Rua Vasco da Gama(Regional E.R.1-1ª)
Fort of Santa Cruz Location of the Santa Cruz Fort within the municipality of Horta, island of Faial
Coordinates	38°31′53.75″N 28°37′34.66″W / 38.5315972°N 28.6262944°W / 38.5315972; -28.6262944
Type	Fort
Site information
Owner	Câmara Municipal de Horta
Operator	Pousadas de Portugal
Open to the public	Private
Site history
Built	c. 1567
Materials	Basalt, Tuff

Fort of Santa Cruz (Portuguese: Forte de Santa Cruz da Horta or Castelo da Santa Cruz), is a 16th-century fortification located in the civil parish of Angústias, municipality of Horta, on the island of Faial in the Portuguese Azores. Occasionally referred to as the Castelo de Santa Cruz by locals, it is situated in the historic centre of the city, on the edge of Horta Bay. It was constructed to work in conjunction with the Fort of Bom Jesus (Portuguese: Forte do Bom Jesus)^[1] at the mouth of the Ribeira da Conceição and Fort of Greta (Portuguese: Forte da Greta) along the coast of the extinct spatter cone Monte da Guia, to defend the entrance to the harbour and southern access to the Bay.