| Kolossi Castle | |
|---|---|
Κάστρο του Κολοσσιού (Greek) | |
 Kolossi Castle | |
  Location within Cyprus | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| Town or city | Limassol |
| Country |  Cyprus |
| Coordinates | 34°39′55″N32°56′02″E / 34.665273°N 32.933957°E /34.665273; 32.933957 |
| Completed | 1454 |
Kolossi Castle is a formerCrusader stronghold on the south-west edge ofKolossi village 14 kilometres (9 mi) west of the city ofLimassol on the island ofCyprus.[1] It held great strategic importance in theMiddle Ages, and contained large facilities for the production of sugar from the local sugarcane, one of Cyprus's main exports in the period. The original castle was possibly built in 1210 by theFrankish military, when the land of Kolossi was given byKing Hugh I to theKnights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers).[2]
The present castle was built in 1454 by the Hospitallers under the Commander of Kolossi, Louis de Magnac, whose coat-of-arms can be seen carved into the castle's walls.[3]
Owing to rivalry among the factions in theCrusader Kingdom of Cyprus, the castle was taken by theKnights Templar in 1306, but returned to the Hospitallers in 1313 following the abolition of the Templars.[4]
The castle today consists of a single three-storey squarekeep, 21m high and with dimensions 17x17m. It has an attached rectangular enclosure or bailey about 30 by 40 metres (98 by 131 ft).[5]
As well as for its sugar, the area is also known for its sweet wine,Commandaria. At the wedding banquet after KingRichard the Lionheart's marriage toBerengaria of Navarre at nearbyLimassol, he allegedly declared it to be the "wine of kings and the king of wines." It has been produced in the region for millennia, and is thought to be the oldest continually-produced and named wine in the world, known for centuries as "Commandaria" after the Templars' Grand Commandery there.[6]
Kolossi Castle appears in many works of fiction, includingLa milicia de Dios by the Spanish writer Eduardo García-Ontiveros Cerdeño. It also appears inSnow Wasted by the Cypriot author Matthew Malekos and in the novels of several British writers, includingRace of Scorpions: The House of Noccolo byDorothy Dunnett,In Search of Sixpence byMichael Paraskos andLionheart byStewart Binns.
34°39′55″N32°56′02″E / 34.665273°N 32.933957°E /34.665273; 32.933957
