|
During the long minority of King Henri I, when feelings ran high between the Latins and the Orthodox population, St. Hilarion Castle was built by the regent, Jean d'Ibelin, as a fortified residence for the young king and his two sisters. The site is supposed to have been occupied originally by the hermitage of St. Hilarion, but no trace of this remains. The castle was of considerable military value at the time of the revolt of the Lusignans against the rule of the Emperor Frederick II, when it was besieged by the royalists. It was also of service at the time of the Genoese invasion and of the Mameluke raids. Protected by inaccessible cliffs on the northern side, it was defended by a wall with semi-circular towers at intervals along the west, south, and east. The royal residence consisted of a large stone hall at the highest point of the hilltop. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the manner of living was so simple that a king, his family, and his personal staff would be accommodated in one great room, fitted with massive furniture and containing the royal bed enclosed by a partition of woodwork and curtains. Other buildings, serving as lodgings, stores and chapel, were grouped below the royal residence to the south-east. Water was supplied from great masonry cisterns which were filled during the winter rains. The castle was partly destroyed by the Venetians at the close of the fifteenth century. See it all in this photobook... return to gallery | next picture |