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St Hilarion Castle.

St. Hilarion Kalesi · Girne

Tier I · Must see

Three wards of a Byzantine castle climbing a mountain ridge.

What to see at St Hilarion Castle

  • The lower ward follows the contour: an outer wall with nine towers or half-round projections, and a two-storey vaulted gate-tower, the barbican, set against a precipice.
  • The middle ward holds the church, standing whole, with an unusual plan and finely jointed Byzantine masonry.
  • Beside it are a vaulted open belvedere and a very large cistern that held most of the castle's water.
  • The castle covers a double-peaked ridge some 700 metres high; the upper ward is reached by a very steep climb of several hundred metres and centres on a courtyard between the twin peaks.
  • The royal apartments are here, with the Queen's Window in the west wall looking along the coast.
  • Prince John's Tower stands on a cliff above the lower castle.

History of St Hilarion Castle

10th century
A monastery is begun around the tomb of a hermit, above the pass between Lefkoşa and Girne.
11th century
Byzantine builders fortify the ridge; the lower walls date from this period, and the middle-ward church keeps its Byzantine masonry.
1228
The castle's recorded history begins, with Giovanni d'Ibelin as regent.
13th–14th centuries
The Lusignan kings add the royal apartments and make the castle a summer palace.
1348
Hugh IV retires to the castle to escape the plague.
15th century
Much of the castle is dismantled by the Venetians.

Visiting St Hilarion Castle

Allow two hours; the climb is steep and uneven, with little shade. The castle is near Karaman, about 4.3 km south-west of Girne, on a side road off the Girne–Lefkoşa pass. The road climbs through the Karaman military area, so do not photograph military installations. A car park is mapped about 100 m from the castle and no bus stop is mapped within 500 m. It opens every day, with shorter hours in winter.

About the St Hilarion Castle 3D model

The 3D model is work in progress and has not yet passed our quality check. It is built without a site visit. The castle's plan follows a mapped outline checked against a published plan, and the ground is a 30 m elevation model with the crags rebuilt by hand. Heights are scaled off photographs and are low confidence; ward levels can be out by 8 to 10 m. The middle-ward hall's south front and several blocks are inferred, and the Queen's Window is rebuilt from photographs.

Open the 3D model of St Hilarion Castle

Monuments near St Hilarion Castle