Although it is a common misconception that
the castle was named after St. Hilarion the
Great who died in 371 AD near Paphos and who
is famous as Palestine’s founder of
monasticism, Saint Hilarion Castle is
actually named after a later saint who was
one of the 300 saints who sought asylum in
Cyprus after the Holy Land was overrun by
the Arabs. Little is written about this
saint except that his relics had been
preserved within the castle walls.
It is widely presumed that he lived on top
of this hill as a hermit and that, much like
the St Neophytos hermitage near Paphos, a
monastery was built in this area to give
refuge to those who would like to follow his
example, as well as to give shelter to his
tomb’s pilgrims.
The castle which stood here prior to the
building of the monastery had once been part
of the defense of the Byzantine Empire on
the island. Other castles which formed this
line of defense were those of Buffavento,
Kyrenia, and Kantara.
Although exactly when Saint Hilarion Castle
was built is found nowhere in the archives,
it is widely presumed that this occurred in
the latter part of the 11th century.
