The Crusading Spirit: Limassol Castle, Cyprus

Cyprus is one of those places that has always been something of a crossroads of culture and has been ruled, at various points in its history, by the Phoenicians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, and the British. It is now, of course, divided into Turkish and Greek zones.

Limassol Castle is representative of some of the regime changes that have taken place in Cyprus over the centuries. During the Byzantine period, a basilica was built on the site, and then a Middle Byzantine monument dating from the tenth to the eleventh century, but in 1193 (allegedly) Guy de Lusignan erected the castle. Lusignan was a Crusader, and he became co-ruler of Jerusalem and later (albeit briefly) King of Cyprus. His fellow Crusader and fellow king, Richard the Lionheart of England, married Berengaria of Navarre and had her crowned Queen of England in the chapel of Limassol Castle in 1191, apparently (although quite how he managed that when the castle wasn’t supposed to have been built until 1193, I don’t know. Someone’s got something wrong with dates somewhere, methinks!). Rather romantically, the street in which the castle can be found is named Richard and Berengaria Street. The castle protected the town from attacks, but in the sixteenth century, the ruling Venetians decided to destroy it so that it wouldn’t be seized by the Ottomans. This plan did not work, as in 1576, the Ottomans captured what was left of the castle, rebuilt the rest of it, and turned it into a prison. Later, the British used it as a police station.

I was most interested in the Medieval Museum housed in the castle. There are lots of pottery, tombstones, armour, weaponry, jewellery, and coins. The finds date from the fourth century AD to the nineteenth century (so, not entirely medieval, then). Now, I’m no expert when it comes to pottery and tombstones (actually, I’m not an expert in anything much), so I can’t tell you exactly what each of the finds in the accompanying photos is, but I do like the faces, and the large eyes that everyone and everything has. I wonder what they might have seen of the early Church and the crusading spirit?

above: You can even see eye bags on this one.

above: Possibly Dionysus. Interesting facial expression.

 For more information: Limassol Castle

Limassol Castle | Cyprus Island