The Dieu d'Amour castle in Cyprus, from Byzantine settlement to Frankish palace

Abstract

The Castle of St. Hilarion, or “chasteau quy a nom Deudamor” (Raynaud, 1887, 45) as it was called in the XIII century, is located on the mountain peak named δίδυμος (double) at the height of 732 m. A first settlement in the area was that of a Monastery founded in the VII century by a monk after fleeing from Holy Land following the Arab invasion. Most authors describe the first fortified enclosure as built in the XI century during the Byzantine rule. The castle was part of a fortified limes together with those of Buffavento and Candare (Kantara) and was enlarged several times in Frankish times starting from 1228 (Jeffery, 1918, 263). Filippo da Novara, during the war opposing Frederick II to the balians of Ibelin, joined the defence and capitulation of the strongholds of Dieu d'Amour (1229), Candare (1230) and Cherynes (1233). The chanson recalls a mill (moulin), ovens (fours) and houses (maisons), describing an urban settlement more than a castle. The cistern of 2 million litres was therefore part of a hydraulic system, and the walled enclosure protected an urban settlement. The paper, reconstructing the history of the complex, dates the construction phases, witnessing the urgent conservation needs of this unique historical setting.