Places of interest to visit
steveinnortherncyprus
The present day name is the corrupt form of the Abbaye de la Paix' or
the Abbey of Peace. The building is regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic
art, and the most beautiful Gothic building in the Near East. The first
monks who were known to have settled here were Augustinians who had to
flee from Jerusalem when the city fell to Selahaddin Eyyubi in 1187. It
is known that the original construction was built between 1198-1205,
and a large part of the present day complex was constructed during the
rule of French King Hugh III (1267-1284).
The cloisters and the refectory were built during the reign of Hugh IV
(1324-1359). Following the Ottoman conquest the monks were turned out
and the building was given to the Greek Orthodox Church. The monastery
begins with a gate, whose tower is a kater addition, and a forecourt.
The church which is situated on one side of the courtyard is the best
preserved part of the monument and dates from the 13th century.
The murals which have survived above its facade are thought to be from
the 15th century. The forecourt leads to cloisters of 18 arches. Under
one of the northern arches there are two Roman sarcophagi which once
served as lavabo. The door being the sarcophagus leads to the refectory
of the monks. The marble lintel above the door contains the set of
coats of armas of the royal quarterings of Cyprus, Jerusalem and the
Lusignans. This is an exquisite sample of Gothic architecture and the
finest room in the monastery.
The room contains a pulpit for addressing the monks during their
meals. Six windows in the north wall which illuminate the room are
reinforced by a rose window in the eastern wall. A door in the western
wall leads to the kitchen and cellar built under the refectory. The
rooms between the refectory and kitchen are thought to have once served
as lavatories. The east side of the Inner courtyard was occupied by the
chapter house and work rooms (undercroft).
The first of these functioned as the administration office of the
abbey and retains its interesting Gothic stone carving: a man with a
double ladder on his back, another man represented between two sirens,
a woman reading, two beasts attacking a man, a woman with a rosary, a
monkey and a cat in the foliage of a pear tree under which a man
holding a shield is seen, and a monk wearing a cloak. The column
standing at its centre is thought to have come from an early Byzantine
church. The rooms of the monks occupied the second floor above this
section. A Pair of stairs on the south of the inner courtyard lead to
the treasury room in the North-west corner of the monastery.
SAINT HILARION CASTLE
The castle is named after St. Hilarion, a hermit monk who fled from
persecution in the Holy Land and lived and died in a cave on the
mountain. Later lived and died in cave on the mountain. Later in the
10th century the Byzantines built a church and monastery here. Along
with Kantara and Buffavento, St. Hilarion Castle was originally built
as a watch tower to give warning of approaching Arab pirates who
launched a continuous series of raids on Cyprus and the coasts of
Anatolia from the 7th to the 10th centuries.
Some 400 years after it was first built, the castle became a place of
refuge and also a summer residence for the Lusignans. When the
Venetians captured Cyprus 1489, they relied on Kyrenia, Nicosia and
Famagusta for the defence of the island and St. Hilarion was neglected
and fell into oblivion. The castle consisted of three wards on
different altitudes, each with its cisterns and storage rooms.
The first and lowest of these was used to accommodate the garrison and
horses. It began with a barbican and its main gate and other walls,
which are reinforced by horseshoe-shaped towers, were built originally
by the Byzantines in the 11th century. The ruins of the stables where
the animals were kept and the water cisterns an invaluable water source
during the long medieval sieges- have survived to the present day. The
entrance of the main gateway of the middle castle, which consisted of a
church, Belvedere barrack rooms and a four-storey royal apartment, was
closed with a drawbridge. From the church of St. Hilarion its apse has
survived. The refectory which served as the - dining hall for the
Lusignan nobles is the largest room of the surviving ruins.
When the weather is clear enough, Kyrenia range and the Mediterranean
and even the snow-capped Taurus mountains of Anatolia some 100 km north
are visible. Beyond the royal apartments there is a large water tank to
collect the winter rain. After a steep windy climb access to the upper
castle is gained by a Lusignan archway guarded by a tower. The
courtyard of the upper castle rests under the natural protection of the
twin summits, some 730 m above the sea. These two peaks have given the
mountain its first name Didymos (Greek for "twin"), and from which the
Crusaders derived the corrupted name of Dieu d'Amour. Two cisterns sunk
into the rocky courtyard supplied water to the upper castle. The rooms
on the east side served as kitchens and waiting rooms. The royal
apartments occupied the western side of the Courtyard. From the
gallery, which was originally on a basement, two Gothic tracery
windows, one with two stone windows seats on either side, and thus
known as the "Queen's Window", have survived. The window offers a
beautiful view of the village of Karmi.
A set of rough steps leads to the uppermost section of the castle
known as the Tower of Prince John. Tradition has it that Prince John of
Antioch, having been convinced that they were plotting against him
threw his Bulgarian bodyguards to their death.
THE CASTLE OF GIRNE (KYRENIA)
The castle of Girne, one of the most impressive and powered castles to
have survived since the middle ages until today, was supposed to be
built to protect the city from pirates in the 7th century. The remnants
left from the Roman age show that the history of Girne castle harks
back to older times.
Written findings mention the Girne castle, and that the King Richard
III of England had captured the island during the Crusades in 1911. It
is known that the castle of Girne had been subjected to changes during
the sovereignty term of French Luzinyen lasting for 300 years. The
castle was heavily demolished by the attack of Genovese' in 1373. The
Venetians rebuilt the castle in order to gain protection from the
Ottoman fires. New city walls and round towers were added during this
term. When the castle was finished, the church of Saint George that was
used by Knights Templar and was supposedly built in 1100, was within
the city walls. The castle is reached by a marrow bridge built on a
deep ditch, which was used as an inner port filled with water until the
years of 1400.
The figures of three lions standing on their back paws on the vault of
the inner door were made by Luziniens. The tomb is seen when entered
through the door belonging to Algerian, Sadik Pasa, Ottoman Admiral who
died during the capture of Cyprus in 1570. Today the Venetian Tower (in
the southwest), Lusinien Tower (in the northwest), and the prisons of
Lusinian period were restored as animations. Also, Samic, compositions
belonging to Vrysi Neolithic village taking place 10 km far in the east
of Girne, findings, animations of tombs found in Kirni village during
Early and Middle Bronze Age, and Sunk Ships Museum are all open as
exhibitions.
Ministry of Economy and Tourism / North Cyprus
http://www.holidayinnorthcyprus.com