Puerta del Conde ( Spanish: La Puerta del Conde ) is a landmark in Santo Domingo , the capital of the Dominican Republic , where Francisco del Rosario Sanchez , one of the founding fathers of the independent Dominican Republic, declared Dominican independence and raised the Dominican flag for the first time on February 27, 1844 years . [1] . The name Puerta del Conde is translated from Spanish as “Count's Gate”.
The gates are part of the bastion of El Baluarte del Conde ( Spanish: El Baluarte del Conde ; translated as "Count Bastion"), located in the colonial city of Santo Domingo . The bastion was part of a large fortification system that fortified the wall surrounding the colonial city. Puerta del Conde also houses the Altar of the Fatherland and Independence Park.
Content
- 1 History
- 1.1 Colonial era
- 2 Current status
- 3 See also
- 4 notes
History
Colonial era
The construction of Puerta del Conde began in 1543 and was originally called Fort San Genaro. [1] The fortification was intended to protect Santo Domingo from invading armies and attacks by pirates and corsairs. [2]
The Muralia (defensive wall) was restored and improved in 1655 after the British, led by William Penn and Robert Venables , launched a siege of Santo Domingo . The attempt was repulsed by the commander of the Spanish military, captain-general of Santo Domingo, Don Bernardino de Meneses and Bracamonte, Count Penalva. Thanks to this successful defense of the city, the gate was named after him La Puerta del Conde ( Count's Gate ). [2]
El Baluarte del Conde ( Count's Bastion ) was a typical 17th century fortification structure in the Italian style, which was the most common in the Caribbean at that time. [2] By the 18th century, the defensive walls of Santo Domingo, which represented a pentagon in plan, reached the limit in their improvement and reliably defended the city. Puerta del Conde served as the western gateway to the colonial Santo Domingo.
Current status
Now Puerta del Conde serve as the main entrance to the National Park ( Spanish: El Parque Nacional ), also known as Independence Park. The inscription on the arch of Puerta del Conde reads: "ỉDulce et Decori est pro patria moriḯ" , which in Latin means: "Sweet and beautiful death for the motherland ." [3] El Baluarte del Conde, which is a symbol of independence, includes a number of monuments and structures that tell about the struggle of the Dominicans for their freedom.
See also
- History of the Dominican Republic
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Puerta del Conde-Parque Independencia . el-bohio.com (2010). Date of treatment August 14, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 3 El Baluarte del Conde . DiarioLibre.com (2010). Date of treatment October 17, 2014. Archived February 2, 2014.
- ↑ Colonial Zone Walls and Gates . Colonialzone-DR.com (2010). Date of treatment August 14, 2014.