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Buffavento castle was built, along with St. Hilarion and Kantara, as a
part of the defensive chain against the Arab raids. It is the highest of
the three castles, its summit being some 950m above sea level. Like the
other two it guarded an important pass through the mountains and it had
signal connections with the other two strongholds. When Richard the Lion
Heart conquered Cyprus in 1191, the Byzantine despot king of the island
Isaac Comnenus is said to have fled there.
Like the other castles of the island it is associated with a
mysterious queen, who once ruled Cyprus, a story probably connected with
the goddess Aphrodite. One of the popular stories about the castle is
that during the reign of the Knight Templars a Byzantine princess
noticed that the skin of her dog had begun to heal. Following him she
saw that the animal bathed in a spring far below the castle. Doing the
same, she was cured. In gratitude, at the spot near the water source she
founded the Monastery of Ayios Ioannis Chrysostomos.
During the Lusignan rule it was as a prison and called 'Chateau du
Lion'.
In its later history, the Venetians having relied on the coastal
fortresses such as Kyrenia or Famagusta for the defense of the island,
Buffavento fell into oblivion.
The name of the castle means 'Defier of Winds'. However, some people
think that 'buffeted' or 'blown' by the wind is a more appropriate
explanation for its name. Its lower section begins with an arched
gateway. The group of rooms beyond this entrance must have served as
barracks and store rooms. Under the rooms a cistern is located. The door
and the arches of some rooms in the upper castle show Byzantine style
red brickwork. In the upper castle the remains of a chapel can be
distinguished. This part offers a staggering view of Nicosia and the
Troodos chain in the south. |
