The medieval Limassol Castle (, ) is situated near the old harbour in the heart of the historical centre of the city of

Limassol Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...

. The castle as it appears today is a structure rebuilt circa 1590 under the period of Ottoman rule.

Overview

Archaeological investigation within the castle revealed that it was built over an Early Christian

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

(4–7th century CE) and a Middle

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

monument (10th–11th century CE). Other finds beneath the Castle witness the existence of an important

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, possibly the city's first cathedral. According to Etienne Lusignan, the original castle was erected by Guy de Lusignan in 1193. The first official reference to the fort dates to 1228, during the involvement of Frederic II of Germany in the affairs of Cyprus. From its erection until the beginning of the 16th century, damages were caused by the continuous attacks of the town by the Genoese and the Mameluks as well as by earthquakes alternating with restorations and reconstructions. In 1538 the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

captured Limassol and the castle. The Venetian governor of Cyprus, after recapturing the castle, decided to demolish it in order to avoid its possible seizure. This destruction was completed in 1567–68. After the Ottoman acquisition of Cyprus in 1576, the remains or parts of the remains of the castle were incorporated in the new Ottoman fort, completed in 1590, which was considerably strengthened. The underground chamber and the first floor were transformed into prison cells and remained in use until 1950. According to tradition, this is where

Richard the Lionheart Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

married Berengaria of Navarre and crowned her Queen of England in 1191.

Gallery

File:Cyprus - Limassol castle 10.JPG, East facade File:Limassol 01-2017 img15 Castle interior.jpg, Interior File:Limassol 01-2017 img16 Castle interior.jpg, Interior File:Ottomans conquering the Limassol Castle.png, A miniature painting depicting the landing of Ottoman soldiers in Limassol Castle during the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1570–71 File:Limassol Castle, ground plan 1918.jpg, Ground plan 1918

References

Castles in Cyprus Buildings and structures in Limassol Crusader castles {{Cyprus-castle-stub