Kolossi Castle

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A square stone keep from the Crusader era near Limassol, where the Knights Hospitaller ran sugar-cane estates and the famous Commandaria wine.

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At a glance

Country: Cyprus
Location: Kolossi, Limassol, Cyprus
Built: 1454
Height: 21 m
Type: Castle

Quick answers

Where is Kolossi Castle?

Kolossi Castle is in Kolossi, Limassol, Cyprus.

When was Kolossi Castle built?

Kolossi Castle was built in 1454.

How tall is Kolossi Castle?

Kolossi Castle is about 21 m tall.

Kolossi Castle is a medieval Crusader fortress on the south-west edge of Kolossi village, about 14 kilometres west of Limassol on the island of Cyprus. Its square stone keep, a three-storey tower, is 21 metres high and about 17 metres on each side.

The castle once guarded an important area. Around it the Knights of the Order of St John, also called the Hospitallers, grew sugar cane and ran large sugar-making facilities, and sugar was one of Cyprus's main exports in the Middle Ages. The land was possibly given to the Hospitallers in 1210 by King Hugh I. The present castle was built in 1454 under their commander Louis de Magnac, whose coat of arms is carved into the walls.

Who owned the castle?

In 1306 the Knights Templar took the castle during rivalry among factions in the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus. When the Templars were abolished, it went back to the Hospitallers in 1313. Next to the keep is a rectangular enclosure, or bailey, about 30 by 40 metres. The Templars had been another Crusader order, and for a few years the two groups competed for the castle and its rich lands.

Sugar and wine

The area was known for its sugar and also for its sweet wine, Commandaria, named after the Templars' commandery, or headquarters, here. The wine has been made in the region for thousands of years and is thought to be the oldest continuously produced and named wine in the world. A story says that Richard the Lionheart called it the wine of kings and the king of wines at his wedding banquet in nearby Limassol.

Fun facts

The knights here made Commandaria, said to be the oldest named wine still produced.
The keep is 21 m high and about 17 m on each side.
The castle once had large sugar-making facilities.
Commandaria wine from here may be the oldest named wine still made.
The coat of arms of Louis de Magnac is carved into its walls.