Kolossi Medieval Castle

The castle is located at the south edge of Kolossi village, which is situated in the heart of the richest.

Kolossi castle was originally built in the 13th century by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitallers) , and rebuilt in its present form in the 15th century by the Commander of Kolossi, Louis de Magnac, whose arms can be seen carved into the castle's walls.

It held great strategic importance in the Middle Ages, and contained large facilities for the production of sugar from the local sugarcane, one of Cyprus's main exports in the period. Next to the castle you can still see the ruins of a 14th century sugar mill.

The fortress was mostly used as a residence and an administration seat of the leaders of the Order of friars, who organised, controlled and exploited the production of the big plantations in the valley of Kolossi indeed and in the major region, covering initially about 60 villages according to some estimates.

In 1306 it briefly came under the domain of the Knights Templar. During their stay in Cyprus, the Knights produced and exported a sweet wine, which became known as the ‘vin de Commanderie’. Today, Commandaria wine is one of the island’s traditional wines and one of the oldest named wines in the world, having had the same name for eight centuries.

At the wedding banquet after King Richard the Lionheart's marriage to Berengaria of Navarre at nearby Limassol, he allegedly declared it to be the "wine of kings and the king of wines."