St. Hilarion Castle
The second of the Crusader Castles, St.
Hilarion was named after a hermit and monk who escaped persecution in
Palestine and lived on the mountain where the castle stands today. It
holds the saint's tomb as well as a Byzantne chapel and monastery,
built in the 10th century and a fort from the 12th century. Along with
the other two castles, ,St. Hilarion defended the island from its
invaders. It is a beautiful fairytale-like site to visit and the views
across the Kyrenia coastline from here are breathtaking.
Buffavento Castle
The
name of this third Crusader Castle, meaning "gusty winds", aptly
describes this imposing site, perched atop a rocky hill nearly 1000
metres above sea level. Originally believed to have been a Byzantine
watch tower, guarding against Arab raiders and the place where the
Byzantine king fled to when Richard the Lionheart invaded in 1191,
Buffavento was almost lost to forest fires in 1995 and is therefore the
least preserved of the three Crusader castles. Walking amongst its
remains, you can get magnificent views of Famagusta, Kyrenia, Nicosia
and even the Trudos mountains on a clear day.
Kyrenia Castle
Originally
built by the Romans and later fortified by the Byzantines, the current
building dates back to the 1500s when Kyrenia Castle was used to guard
the strategic port of Kyrenia against Ottoman attack. Upon entering the
fortified entrance to the Castle, you will find an impressive array of
sights, including guardrooms, stables, living quarters, royal
apartments, a chapel, dungeons, storage rooms for gunpowder, the
shipwreck museum and you can even climb to the battlements to walk the
entire castle wall and take in the views. And if that isn't enough, the
port is lined with atmospheric restaurants to finish off the day.
Founded by Augustinian monks who came to Cyprus from Jerusalem, the first buildings of this spectacular monastery were constructed in 1198. Much of what can be seen today was later built by the Lusignans between 1267 and 1284, with the courtyard pavilions and Gothic refectory added on in 1359.