Must-see
Saint Hilarion Castle
A Pentadaktylos peak with a castle; it comes up in an exam question
The story
The castle stands on the peak of Agios Ilarionas, about 725 meters above the sea, in the western part of Pentadaktylos, the northern mountain range, above Kyrenia. According to tradition, the hermit Hilarion lived here. According to the Department of Antiquities, the Byzantines built the castle at the end of the 11th century to defend the island from sea raids, together with Buffavento and Kantara. Under the Frankish Lusignan kings, the royal family rested here in peacetime. The Venetians dismantled the castle so that an enemy could not use it. In 1963 and 1964 the castle was a stronghold of armed Turkish Cypriots above the Nicosia–Kyrenia road. It is in the north of the island, which the Republic of Cyprus has not controlled since 1974.
Agios Ilarionas is a peak of the Pentadaktylos range, like Kantara and Kyparissovouno. In an exam question quoted by the Cyprus Mail in July 2026, candidates were asked which is NOT a Pentadaktylos peak; the right answer is Papoutsa, a peak of the Troodos.
Visiting
The castle is in the north: go through the crossing points on the dividing line, the nearest being in Nicosia; you need a passport or ID card. Car insurance from the south usually does not apply in the north, so it is bought separately, and not every rental company allows such a trip. The turn to the castle is off the Nicosia–Kyrenia highway. Steep paths and steps lead from the car park to the upper part of the castle. Check the entry rules, opening hours and price on site.
Photos
Sources
- Department of Antiquities of Cyprus — Saint Hilarion Castle (section “The Looting of Cultural Heritage in Occupied Cyprus”)
- Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–68, vol. XVI, doc. 38: telegram from the US Embassy in Nicosia, 4 May 1964 (fighting at Saint Hilarion Castle)
- Cyprus: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division), section Intercommunal Violence
- Cyprus Mail, 19.07.2026 — sample exam question about the peaks of Pentadaktylos
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