Limassol Castle

Archaeological research on the territory of the Limassol castle indicates that the castle was located on the early Christian basilica (IV-VII centuries) and the Byzantine fortress, built in the X-XI centuries ^{[2] [3]} , which occupied a much larger territory ^[4] .

In 1191, the castle, like the whole island, came under the rule of the English king Richard I , who on May 12 of that same year got married in a small Byzantine church Agios Georgios with his bride Berengaria of Navarre . This church was located east of the castle and was soon completely destroyed by an earthquake ^[5] . In 1193 , according to Etienne de Lusignan , a significantly destroyed castle was rebuilt by the first lord of Cyprus Guy de Lusignan with the help of the Knights Templar and Hospitallers ^[3] . Archaeologists have so far failed to determine the exact boundaries of the location of this castle ^[2] . In 1196, the castle was handed over to the Knights Templar ^[5] . In 1222, the castle was again significantly damaged by a strong earthquake, which had an epicenter in Paphos . After this, the castle is mentioned in historical documents in connection with the conquest of Cyprus by Emperor Frederick II in 1228 ^[6] . Friedrich used the castle as a prison in which he held for some time the intractable Cypriot barons (in particular, the sons of the regent Jean Ibelin ) and the young Cypriot king Henry I de Lusignan ^{[2] [7]} .

In the XIII - XVI centuries, Limassol Castle was repeatedly destroyed by the invading foreign troops, as well as as a result of earthquakes, after which it was restored and reconstructed. In the XIII century, the castle was significantly expanded ^[5] , and on the site of a small Byzantine church, in which Richard and Berengaria were married, the Templars erected a large church in the Gothic style . In 1308, at the direction of the pope, the ruler of Cyprus Amory II of Tyrsky ordered the arrest of members of the Order of the Templars and describe the property of the order in Cyprus. In 1312, the Knights Templar’s ​​property, including the Limassol Castle, was transferred to the Order of Hospitallers by decree of King Henry II , however, the hospitaliers had already left Cyprus for the most part, having moved to the island of Rhodes they had conquered. From the castle of the Templars to this day, only a square Gothic chapel of yellowish stone has survived. The chapel is located above an earlier church with a small staircase. This basement under the Venetians and Turks was used as a prison ^[8] .

In 1373 , at the beginning of the Cypriot-Genoese war , the Genoese forces again turned it into ruins ^{[2] [9]} . The restoration of the castle began at the direction of King Jacob (Jacques) I (1382–1398) at the end of the 14th century and continued until the beginning of the 15th century ^[2] . A complete reconstruction of the castle’s interior was carried out. The new high central hall of the castle with a vaulted ceiling on the west side was protected by powerful curtains . The nave was replaced by a double row of small chambers, separated by a narrow passage, and the spacious basement of the castle now consisted of three galleries that did not have an exit to the outside. The Gothic Templar Church near the castle was demolished to the frame ^[10] .

In 1402 and 1408, Limassol Castle was the center of resistance to the Genoese, and in 1413 and 1422 successfully survived the siege of the Mameluk fleet. In 1425, however, the Mamluks nevertheless captured him ^[2] . The castle was taken quite quickly thanks to the Saracen slaves, who indicated to the Mamelukes the broken holes in the wall ^[10] .

In 1489, the castle, like the whole island, came under the rule of the Venetian Republic , and in 1491 a strong earthquake significantly damaged the castle’s defenses. In 1538, the city ​​of Limassol and its castle were first captured by the Ottoman Turks ^[2] . The castle by that time was in decline, there was no garrison in it, and only the castellan and his family lived. After the Venetians regained control of the city, military governor Marco Antonio Bragadin decided to demolish Limassol Castle, which was severely damaged by the earthquake and Turkish assault, in order to prevent its re-capture and use by the Turks ^[2] . During dismantling, the central column of the castle hall was collapsed and was no longer restored ^[11] . However, the dismantling of the castle, requiring large financial costs, was delayed, and its final destruction occurred as a result of a strong earthquake in 1567 or 1568 ^[2] .

Thirty years later, anticipating a Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Venetians completely restored Limassol Castle, and also erected powerful walls and strengthened, able to withstand artillery attacks. In 1570, the castle was stormed by the Ottoman forces ^[4] , and in 1590 the castle that was severely destroyed during the siege was completely restored and further strengthened ^{[2] [11]} . Cellars and the first floor of the castle were equipped with prison cells ^[4] .

In the 1800s, the entire castle was turned into a prison, which served until 1950. After the central prison was moved to Nicosia, Limassol Castle was declared an archaeological site. In 1950, the castle was transferred to the Department of Antiquities , the efforts of which were carried out reconstruction and significant restoration in the castle, and then the district museum was opened in the castle ^{[3] [11] [12]} . In 1963 - 1974, the castle housed the post of the National Guard of Cyprus ^[12] . After the restoration, the castle was used to store the Museum of the Middle Ages, where in 1975 the exhibits of the Nicosia Museum of the Middle Ages were moved to find themselves in the buffer zone separating Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

The Cyprus Museum of the Middle Ages (Cyprus Mediaeval Museum) began its work in the building of Limassol Castle on March 28, 1987 ^{[3] [12]} . The museum exposition includes exhibits from various areas of Cyprus, dating from the IV - XVII centuries . In the central hall of the castle are stone carved tombstones of the XIV century and an ornamented plaster cast with figures of saints, made from the portal of the Hagia Sophia in Nicosia . In the basement of the museum, along a long corridor, there is a collection of Frankish and Venetian stone carved tombstones depicting the figures of deceased monks, knights and aristocrats with their emblems, attributes and short epitaphs . On the top floor of the museum, a collection of medieval weapons and armor, marble carved fragments of an early Christian basilica, a collection of coins, oil lamps, gold, silver, bronze objects, as well as medieval ceramics are displayed ^{[4] [11]} .

•  

  East side

•  

  Castle entrance

•  

  Hall inside the castle

•  

  Headless human skeleton - one of the exhibits of the Museum of the Middle Ages

• Ionina N.A. One Hundred Great Castles . - M., "Veche 2000", 2004.
• Korovina A.K., Sidorova N.A. Cities of Cyprus. Cities and museums of the world . - M., "Art", 1973. 214 p.
• Rossi G. Limassol Castle // www.cyprusexplorer.globalfolio.net

• Richard's Castle // kipr-excursions.com
• The medieval castle of Lemesos // www.visitcyprus.com
• The Castle of Limassol // www.limassolmunicipal.com.cy
• Cyprus Medieval Museum (Limassol Castle) // www.mcw.gov.cy