Saranta Kolones Castle ( Greek Κάστρο Σαρντα Κολώνες - Fortress of the Columns ) is a Byzantine fortress founded in the 7th century to protect the city and the harbor of Paphos from Arab raids and substantially rebuilt by the Crusaders in 1200 . After the destruction as a result of the earthquake of 1222, the castle was no longer restored, now its ruins are part of the Archaeological Park of Paphos [1] .
Castle | |
Saranta Kolones Castle | |
---|---|
Στρο Σαρντα Κολώνες | |
A country | Cyprus |
City | Paphos (Cyprus) |
Architectural style | Romanesque architecture |
Founder | Irakli I |
Founding date | 1st floor VII century |
Key Dates | |
1200 - the castle was rebuilt by the crusaders 1222 - the castle was destroyed by an earthquake | |
Status | Archaeological site in the Archaeological Park of Paphos |
condition | Ruin |
Content
Castle history
The name of the castle is associated with the set of granite columns that prevailed in its appearance. The fragments of these columns are still in large numbers among the ruins of this fortress [1] [2] .
The fortress was most likely erected by the Byzantines in the first half of the 7th century in order to protect the city and the harbor from the approaching Arab threat [1] . Since the defense of the island at that time was led by Theodore, brother of the emperor Heraclius I (610-641), it can be assumed that the construction of the castle took place under his direct supervision. Together with the two port towers and the walled city, the castle became the main element of the defensive system of Paphos .
Despite the apparent inaccessibility, the fortress was taken and destroyed by the Arabs during their second invasion of Cyprus in 653 - 654 years . A few years later, the castle was rebuilt, but in 688 , in accordance with the Arab-Byzantine agreement on the creation of a "Cyprus condominium " (joint control of the island), the fortress was demilitarized , that is, it was actually dismantled [3] .
In 965, the fortress was again fully restored and in 1191 it came under the control of Richard the Lionheart . In 1200, the new owners of the castle, perhaps, the knights of the Order of the Hospitallers (or Lusignan [2] ) substantially rebuilt and strengthened the castle [4] , but already in 1222 it was completely destroyed by a powerful earthquake [1] [5] [4] .
After the complete destruction of the castle, the Crusaders, the Hospitallers or the Kings of Lusignan , did not restore Saranta Kolones. Instead, a new citadel was erected in the western part of the harbor, which remained in the reconstructed form to this day called the Paphos Castle .
Description
According to its type, this structure in its final form belonged to double fortresses. The total area of the castle was approximately 60 square meters (which approximately corresponded to the size of the inner castle of the Belvoir Fortress ) [4] .
The outer castle consisted of three meter thick fortress walls with four massive round towers at the corners. In the center of each curtain was still a triangular half-turret [4] . There was a deep ditch around the castle, through which a wooden bridge was spread from the western side. The square inner citadel , 35 X 35 meters in size [6], included four rectangular towers in each corner and one semicircular gatehouse [4] . Thus, there were eight towers in the castle [5] .
The main gates were located on the east side and had the shape of a horseshoe. Numerous military and economic buildings were located in the inner castle, including barracks, a bakery, a forge, a sugar cane mill, a bathhouse, stables, marble basins and much more. On the top floor of the inner castle was, in addition to fortifications, a chapel. On the lower and upper floors there were several toilets connected to the sewer system [1] [4] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Renos Lavithis, 2008 , p. 45.
- ↑ 1 2 Saranda Colons Castle (Forty Columns) // www.visitpafos.org.cy (not available link) . The date of circulation is July 17, 2014. Archived June 11, 2015.
- ↑ Cyprus Tourism Organization: Medieval Castle of Paphos. Pp. 7—8 // www.visitcyprus.com
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Adrian J. Boas, 2005 , p. 105
- ↑ 1 2 Jean-Paul Labourdette, Dominique Auzias, 2002 .
- С Fort Saranda Kolones // www.visitcyprus.com
Literature
- Boas, Adrian J. Crusader Archeology: The Material Culture of the Latin East . - London - New York, 2005. - ISBN 0-203-98466-8 .
- Lavithis, Renos. Paphos Land of Aphrodite. Tourist Guide for the South West of Cyprus. - New Barnet: Topline publications, 2008. - p. 45-47. - 224 s. - ISBN 0 948853 30 1 .
- Labourdette, Jean-Paul; Auzias, Dominique. Cyprus: Travel Guide . - Petit Futé, 2002. - p. 109. - ISBN 978-5-86394-179-0 .