Rumour has it that Walt Disney drew inspiration from the jagged contours of St Hilarion when he created the animated film Snow White. And a local folk legend tells that the castle once boasted rooms, the last of which led to a secret internal garden that belonged to a fairy queen. This enchantress was known for seducing hunters, shepherds and travellers who stumbled into her lair and robbing them after placing them into a deep slumber.
The lofty fort is named after the monk Hilarion, who fled persecution in the Holy Land. Hilarion was abandoned along with the other mountainous fortresses in the area since the developments in military strategies and technology made the castles ineffective. With the Venetians, the castles of St. Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara were demolished so that any chance of an enemy seizing them was made impossible. The castle of St.
Hilarion is comprised of three defensive units built upon different levels: The first unit is situated on the lowest level of the hill and it is the largest in length. Many buildings that functioned as habitation units for the soldiers and as animal dens exist on this level. One is led to the second level via a large Byzantine two-story building. The buildings to the south of the church , have for the most part fallen.
North of the church steps lead down to a vaulted passage of Frankish construction separating it from the HALL , rebuilt in the 14th century, but now lacking its steep wood-and-tile roof and also the floor which divided it from the cellars below. Some earlier masonry surviving in the end walls suggests that a similar hall existed in the Byzantine castle. Possibly this earlier hall originally served as the Refectory of the monastery.
The same passage leads into the Belvedere , a vaulted loggia commanding fine views through its open arch-ways. This and the vaulted kitchen block to the east of the hall, to the east of the hall, to which we pass, date in their present form from the Lusignan period.
The buttery , if such it be, between the hall and the kitchen, is of more primitive construction and had a terrace roof supported by rafters carried on transverse arches. Below it is a cistern lately restored to use. The kitchen block, where chimney flues are visible at more than one point, is arched over a crevice in the rock on the south side to provide an outlet for a group of privies.
From the kitchen there are two alternative routes. The visitor with little time to spare should descend the wooden steps leading down to a terrace outside the cellars of the hall , from which the main route to the top of the castle is regained. For the longer route, return to the Belvedere and follow the stone steps and passage which lead down, under the kitchen into the buildings occupying the eastern extremity of the middle a building of importance. It probably housed the royal apartments in the 13th century before the more spacious quarters in the upper ward were build.
Later repairs included the addition of a step-pitch tiled roof, of which the east gable survives, the modern steps at the east end of this building lead up to a terrace , the most easterly point in the castle, commanding a wide panorama of land and sea. Descending to the basement level, a row of massive vaulted chambers is reached , Frankish 14th century work, probably barrack accommodation. In a small yard to the east are the remains of a kiln in which roof-tiles were made.
Ascending the long flight of stone steps and passing, on the right the remains of buildings constructed on top of the vaulted barracks, the direct route to the top of the castle is retained. At the exit from the middle ward was a gate.
Outside it, a postern and an enormous open Tank , both of Frankish construction complete the features of this main section of the castle. The tank served to store winter rainfall from the natural catchment area above, for building and other requirements in the summer months.
The tank stands at the bottom of the gulley up which a zigzag path climbs to the Upper Ward. The entrance is through a Frankish arch set in rougher, Byzantine wall and protected by a tower akin to those of the lower ward. The courtyard within is flanked by the twin crests of forming the summit.
At the east end are service buildings of Frankish date, including a kitchen with the remains of an oven. On the west the courtyard is closed by the Royal Apartments , a fine, but much-damaged Lusignan buildings of the 14th century. A passage, which leads below it to a postern , and a cistern occupy the basement level. From the vaulted hall on the ground floor, which was sub-divided by partitions, the upper level can be reached from a restored staircase at the south end. The upper chambers were covered with a steep-pitched, tiled roof and originally they could also be reached from external gallery throughout the length of the inner wall.
The west wall retains at the south end one of its traceries windows with side-seats, popularly known as the "Queen's window". At the other end a passage leads to a substantial, but primitive closet. Descending to the courtyard by the staircase from which the gallery was reached, the visitor passes the remains of a group of subsidiary buildings and cisterns. From the courtyard a short climb gains the top-most rampart. On the southern crest, and the Summit , m.
This rampart with its square towers , which were covered with flat roofs on rafters, is early Frankish work. From the car park, the ascent will take around an hour, longer with stops to admire the view. Although the first section begins up concrete steps and paths, some walkways can be slippery.
The first part of the castle you will come across is the main gate and outer walls, built by the Byzantines in the 11th century. As the path climbs, it passes a still usable cistern and the stables. The first dramatic structure you come across will be the main gatehouse with its arch, which originally closed with a drawbridge.
Along the passage you will come across the sizable castle chapel. It is built of bricks and stone blocks, and in danger of collapse, was restored in Traces of ancient religious paintings are visible, their style pointing to around However the church is considered far too large for a castle garrison, and it is thought that the Byzantine building is a restoration of a monastery, founded around The area round the castle was originally part of this monastery, and the rooms to the north and east of it were the cellars, kitchen and refectory.
Below this is a further series of rooms thought to be barracks for the crusader knights of the 14th century. Passing through the crusader archway, you will find yourself in the main courtyard. To your right are what remains of the royal kitchens and waiting rooms.
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