SAINT-HILARION CASTLE

Set on a rocky spur 732 m above sea level, this castle (Saint Hilarion Kalesi, Κάστρο του Αγίου Ιλαρίωνα/Kastro tou Agiou Ilariona) offers some of the finest views of the Kyrenia coast. It is also the best preserved of the three medieval castles on the Pentadactylos massif. The place owes its name to the local saint Hilarion, who is said to have lived here as a hermit in the ^8th century. An Orthodox monastery dedicated to him was built here in the ^10th century. However, Byzantine strategists understood the importance of such a site in the fight against invasions. The monastery became a castle in the ^11th century. Reputedly impregnable, it formed the western wing of a vast system comprising the castles of Buffevento (in the center) and Kantara (to the east, on the Karpas peninsula). It had two roles: to warn the island's other garrisons of approaching fleets, by means of fires lit at the top, and to serve as a fallback position in the event of an invasion. This explains the presence of military quarters, food stores and siege tanks, as well as apartments reserved for the nobility. Under the Lusignans, the castle was reinforced. But most of the fortifications were dismantled by the Venetians in the ^15th century. The castle was abandoned by the Ottomans. But it regained a strategic role during the intercommunal clashes of 1955-1964. It served as a weapons cache, then as headquarters for the Turkish Resistance Organization (TMT). The Turkish army used it as a staging post during its invasion in the summer of 1974.

Visit. Just beyond the parking lot, the lower quarter is accessed via a fortified gate dating from the Byzantine period. This is where the garrison's stables and dormitories were located. The path then begins to climb. On the right, there's a fine view across the Pentadactylos peaks. You then reach the middle quarter. It was redeveloped under the Lusignans, as evidenced by the Gothic arched doorways. The district includes the nobles' dwellings, the restored church of the former Saint-Hilarion monastery, the kitchens and warehouses (left). Don't miss a break here at Café Lusignan. Finally, the upper quarter can be reached via steep passageways and recently built staircases. You reach the Jean de Lusignan tower, surrounded by precipices on three sides. The view from the "Queen's window" is well worth the climb.