Saint Hilarion Castle

High in the Kyrenia mountain range, overlooking the Mediterranean and the surrounding areas of North Cyprus, stands the magnificent castle of St Hilarion. A short drive from Kyrenia, St Hilarion is reputedly the original inspiration for Walt Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty'. The monument is massive and is in a remarkable state of preservation. It is widely considered to be the best preserved, and most substantial, of all the world's Crusader Castles. The castle offers something for historians and also anyone who enjoys spectacular views. On a clear day you can see much of the Mediterranean shores of Cyprus, and all the way to the Turkish coast! There are various levels to the castle and to reach the very top involves quite a substantial climb. There are a great many steps and a reasonable level of fitness is required to get to the summit. Stout shoes are essential. Especially in the hotter months, visitors should carry plenty of refreshments with them, though there is a cafe on-site!

The castle takes its name from Saint Hilarion, a hermit monk who fled from persecution in the Holy Land and lived and died in a cave on the mountains. Later in the 10th century the Byzantines built a church and monastery here. Along with Kantara and Buffavento castles, Hilarion was originally built as a watch tower to give warning of approaching pirates who launched a series of raids on Cyprus and the coasts of Anatolia. Although a monastery church were built here originally, the first references to the castle are found in 1191 records. For some time it remained of strategic importance, but later was used only as a summer resort of the Lusignan nobility.

Saint Hilarion was an abbot and monastic pioneer of Palestine who studied at Alexandria, where he became a convert to Christianity. He is said to have visited St. Antony, but returned to Palestine to find his parents dead. He gave all his belongings to his brothers and to the poor and became a hermit at Majuma. His regime was monastic in the extreme; living on figs, bread, vegetables and oil and sleeping in a shelter of reeds. Disciples came to learn from him and large crowds were attracted to him by his austerities and miracles. Eventually settling in Cyprus he lived near Paphos, but later retired to a more remote site. St. Hilarion died at the age of eighty.The castle consists of three main parts. the lower ward, occupying the south slope below the summit; the middle ward (the main section on the eastward shoulder) and the upper ward, between the twin crests of the summit. The outer gate, beside which stands the restored gate-house, leads into the Barbican, a small outbuilding protecting the main entrance. The parapets for the defense of the main entrance were fortified by the Byzantines in the 11th century and the lower section of the castle was kept for billeting soldiers and their horses. The middle section contained a royal palace, kitchen, church and large cistern for storing water. At the entrance to the castle in the upper section there is a Lusignan Gate with a central courtyard.

The panoramic view of Northern Cyprus from the gothic-style Queen’s window on the second floor of the royal apartments is superb and alone is well worth the climb! When the Venetians captured Cyprus in 1489, they relied on Kyrenia, Nicosia and Famagusta alone for the defense of the island, so Hilarion was neglected and fell into disuse.

In its main outline and arrangement the castle today remains much as it was when the Byzantines built it, but some sections in their current form are Frankish and the work of those who rebuilt and improved the castle under the rule of the Lusignans. Within the main entrance stands the inner gate-house, now in service as the Custodian's office. The lower ward is the largest section, but it lacks any important buildings, as it would have been where the men-at-arms and animals were quartered. A long Byzantine wall surrounds it and rises to join with the defenses on the summit. It has seven semi-circular towers. From the Custodian's tower to that next to it on the west, the parapet walk along the battlements has been put in order and the large water storage cistern built against it, is in use again now. Near the south-west corner of the lower ward, the path passes the original stables, a vaulted building with its entrance thorough an archway high enough to be used by a knight on horseback. In the nearby corner tower, two of the wooden floors have been restored to show how the building was originally divided into three storeys: a store room on the lowest level and two upper floors, each with holes towards the exterior and a pair of arches opening inwards into the lower ward.

The Middle Ward is reached through another substantial Gate House, a Byzantine building inside which Lusignan masons later built a stone, vaulted passage. The arches on the east side were rebuilt in 1959 to support the vaulted roof and prevent its collapse. A narthex to the west and an annex to the north of it are likewise constructed in Byzantine fashion. The church and its annexes far exceed the normal requirements of a castle chapel, leading to the idea that the first substantial structure on the site was a monastery. Such ready-made accommodation may explain the choice of the site for a castle, which in some ways is quite unsuitable. The church is an inexpert example of its type, which is seen elsewhere in Cyprus (for example at the Antiphonitis monastery near Ayios Amvoios) and must be relatively early in date, probably some time after 965AD. Traces of two murals survive on the south wall, the second possibly dating from restoration work after the Byzantines had converted the monastery into a castle. To the north of the church, some steps lead down to a vaulted passage of Frankish construction separating the church from the hall. This was rebuilt in the 14th century, but now lacks the original steep, wood-and-tile roof and also the floor which would have divided it from the cellars underneath.

Some earlier masonry visible in the end walls suggests that a similar hall probably existed in the Byzantine castle, possibly used as the refectory for the monastery. The same passage leads into the 'belvedere', a vaulted space with fine views through its open arch-ways. This and the vaulted kitchen area to the east of the hall, date from the period of Lusignan occupation. A buttery, between the hall and the kitchen, is of more primitive construction and had a roof supported by rafters on transverse arches. From the kitchen there are two different routes. Descending the wooden steps leading down to a terrace outside the cellars of the hall, means the main route to the top of the castle is quickly reached. For a longer route, return to the Belvedere and follow the stone steps and passage which lead under the kitchen and into the buildings occupying the eastern extremity of the site. In the the middle stands a building of obvious importance. It probably housed the royal apartments in the 13th century, before the more spacious quarters in the upper ward were built. Modern steps at the east end of this building lead up to a terrace, offering superb views of the north Cyprus coastline and the Mediterranean beyond. Descending to the basement level, a row of massive vaulted chambers is reached, probably barrack accommodation. In a small yard to the east are the remains of a kiln in which roof-tiles were probably made. Ascending the long flight of stone steps, you will rejoin the direct route to the top of the castle. At the exit from the middle ward was a gate. Outside it, a postern and an enormous open tank, both of Frankish construction, complete the features of the main section of the castle.

The tank served to store winter rainfall for the summer months and stands at the bottom of a gully, up which a zigzag path climbs to the Upper Ward. The entrance is through a Frankish arch set in a rougher, Byzantine wall and protected by a tower similar to those found in the lower ward. The courtyard beyond is flanked by the twin peaks of the Kyrenia mountain range which form the summit. At the east end are service buildings of Frankish origin, including a kitchen with the remains of an oven. On the west, the courtyard is closed by the Royal Apartments, a 14th century Lusignan building, but no longer in good order. A passage, which leads below to a postern and cistern occupying the basement level. From the vaulted hall on the ground floor, which was sub-divided by partitions, the upper level can be reached from a restored staircase at the south. The upper chambers would have been originally covered with a steeply pitched, tiled roof and at the time, could also have been reached by an external gallery, which ran the entire length of the inner wall.

At the south end of the west wall, one of its tracery windows with side-seats remains and is known as the Queen's window. At the other end, a passage leads to a substantial closet. Descending to the courtyard by the staircase, there are the remains of a group of subsidiary buildings and cisterns. From the courtyard a short climb reaches the highest rampart. From the summit (732 metres above sea-level) a magnificent view of the Northern Cyprus cost awaits on a clear day. This rampart with its square towers, which were covered with flat roofs on rafters, is early Frankish and replaced a less substantial Byzantine wall and round towers. Traces of these survive below the western tower. Returning down by the same route, you can keep right and the route leads to a strong and isolated tower standing at the center of the castle. St John's Tower, with a vaulted Frankish construction suggesting a 14th century date. With sheer precipices on three sides this is assumed to be the donjon-tower, where the Prince of Antioch's Bulgarians met their unenviable end.

Continuing the downward journey, most of the middle ward can be by-passed via a passage and tunnel, the latter surviving from the original Byzantine monastery. From the passage, the isolated Castellan's Quarters are reached. These are of Frankish construction and include a vaulted cellar below and a main chamber above. The latter communicates with a closet and, through a service hatch, with a small vaulted kitchen. On returning to the Custodian's Tower, those with time to spare can explore the eastern section of the lower ward, where the outer wall crosses a steep slope, reaching rock on top of which the middle ward was built. As elsewhere, cisterns were built against the inner wall. High on the slope, below the church, are the ruined remains of a bath building of Byzantine construction.

Saint Hilarion Castle is a short drive from Kyrenia on the road to Nicosia. Access to the castle by car is straightforward (though the road is quite winding and not the best place for anyone who suffers from vertigo!) and there is a good-sized car park at the base of the castle, with a small cafe. There is a small entrance fee and guided tours around the castle are available, though there is a guide-book on sale and in view of the climbs, you may prefer just to wander around on your own.