Castles of Cyprus

The three magnificent castles of Kantara, Buffavento and St. Hilarion are located on the Five Finger Mountains. These were used as observation and defence posts.

St. Hilarion, the best preserved of the three, was used as a summer residence by the kings of Cyprus. Its wall appears to have been carved out of the rock and its square tower shelters a small tavern.

The castle has three parts. The parapets for the defense of the main entrance were fortified by the Byzantines in the 11th century. The lower section of the castle was being used for the soldiers and the horses. The middle section contained the royal palace, the kitchen, the church and a big cistern. At the entrance to the castle in the upper section there is a Lusignan Gate. There is a courtyard in the middle. The nobility used to live in the Eastern section, the kitchen and the other rooms for daily use were in the western section.

Buffavento Castle was built in the 10th Century during the Byzantine period. Inhabited in the middle ages by the Lusignans, it was destroyed later in the 15th Century by the Venetians. An adventurous walk brings you this castle and offers some spectacular views. It used to be a prison, escape castle and hideaway.

The red brick workmanship on the arches of gates and rooms is of the Byzantine style. Little has remained of the church that used to be here. ‘Buffavento’ means ‘Insubordinate to the Wind’.

The Kantara Castle is situated at the beginning of the Karpas peninsula. It offers grand views of the north coast and the Mesaoria plain towards Gazimagusa. The castle has sections like a defence line, dormitories, a cistern, vaulted rooms, and a signal tower.