Adt Property Consulting - Places Of Interest

Places Of Interest

Bellapais Abbey.

The exquisite Gothic building in the beautiful mountain village of Bellapais was built by Augustinian monks in 1205 AD,and was knows as ‘ Abbey of our lady of the Mountain’ . The name of Bellapais comes from the Greek word eqiskopia (meaning bishopric ). The Frank, unable to pronounce the word accurately referred to the building as Lapais. In time the Abbey came to be known as ‘ Abbeye de la paix.

St. Hillarion Castle

The fairytale castle, said to be Walt Disneys inspiration for the film ‘ Fantasia’ occupies the mountain top that overlooks Girne. Originally the site of the castle was the abode of a hermit named hillarion upon which a monastery was later built in his honour.The building was later fortified by the Byzantines and the castle existed in conjunction with Kantara and Buffavento,along the northern coast,with the aim deterring attacks from seafaring Arabs.During Lusignan rule the castle was further and was also used as the King’s summer residence. The castle fell into disuse during Venrtain times due to the development of the new military technology which made its upkeep unnecessary.

Buffavento Castle

At an altitude of 954 metres, Buffavento which means ‘wind defying’ has an apt name .Along with St,Hillarion and kantara the castle was built by the Byzantines to ward off arab attacks . The Lusignans,during their rule, extended and further fortified the castle ,but tented to use the castle as a prison rather than a military stronghold.The Venetians finding they had little use for the castle dismantled and abandoned it. Although there is relatively little left of the castle structure a walk to the castle from the road below is very rewarding experience giving fantastic views of the mountain range and and down to the sea.

Kyrenia Castle

A beautiful ruin which is the set in harbour to which nobody has been able to establish the exact date of the contruction. As a result of excavations at the castle site , it is thought that the original castle was built in the 9th Century. The castle was further strengthened by the Venetians. The most intresting fact is that in all its history the castle was never taken by assault. The Shipwrecked Museum is of exceptionally intrest and a remain from the 4th century BC ship salvaged off the Kyrenia coast, items of its cargo are also housed in the shipwreck museum which was opened in 1976 they include numerous amphora which contained almonds and some very intresting grain mills.

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