Must See Cyprus - St Hilarion Castle

The outline of the almost magical, fairytale remains of St Hilarion Castle will not become apparent until you are directly beneath it, so blended is the structure with the cliffside. The castle (kalesi in Turkish) has just enough hidden rooms, tunnels, overgrown gardens and steep staircases and paths to leave parents gasping for breath and the children asking for more.

Local legend tells that the castle once had 101 rooms, the last of which was a secret garden belonging to a fairy 'queen'. The castle's real history is a bit more prosaic. This lofty fort is named after a monk called Hilarion, who fled persecution in the Holy Land. He lived and died in a cave on the mountain that overlooks the plain of Kyrenia.

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