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Saint Hilarion Castle

Saint Hilarion Castle

Photo: Maris Teteris · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Kyrenia, Cyprus
Client / Owner
Lusignan dynasty
Year
Completed 10th century
Access
Tickets required
Typology
Cultural

Saint Hilarion Castle stands in the Kyrenia Mountains, in the area administered as Northern Cyprus. The infobox gives a 10th-century start, while the text says fortification began in the 11th century. The Byzantines began fortifying the site, and the Lusignan dynasty upgraded some sections. The Venetians dismantled much of it in the 15th century. A monastery is said to have come first, but the article says no substantial evidence supports that.

The lower and middle wards served economic purposes, and the upper ward housed the royal family. The Lusignan kings may have used it as a summer residence. The Byzantine wall of the upper ward is 4.6 feet (1.4 m) thick, in rough masonry.

The royal apartments are 82 feet (25 m) long and 20 feet (6 m) wide, with a pointed barrel vault and a basement cistern. They are dated to the 13th or 14th century. The article names no owner and gives no visiting details.

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