Castillo del Espiritu Santo (La Jara)

Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, Spain

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Castillo del Espíritu Santo, also known as La Jara Castle, was a coastal fortress in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz province, Andalusia, Spain, built starting in 1507 as a watchtower by the Duke of Medina Sidonia to protect against corsair attacks at the Guadalquivir River's mouth. Expanded in 1587 with a small baluarte and rebuilt larger in 1634 by the VIII Duke on the barranca edge, it housed a captain, artilleros, and soldiers, was renovated in 1770 under Carlos III, and presented a formidable profile as the river's "key," serving as a key defense point. Captured by French troops in 1810 during the Peninsular War, it was demanded demolished by the English after their 1812 expulsion and fully razed by February 8, 1813, leaving only precarious ruins today amid modern urbanizations near Playa de la Jara beach.