Buffavento Castle

Buffavento Castle is a castle in Northern Cyprus. The exact date of its construction remains unknown, the most plausible theory being the Byzantine period. It combines Byzantine and Frankish architectural elements. It fell into disuse in the 14th century.Buffavento stands between St. Hilarion Castle to the west and Kantara Castle to the east forming a protective axis in the Kyrenia mountain range of Northern Cyprus. Buffavento guarded the mountain passage from Kythrea to the north coast in particular. As both of the other castles are visible from Buffavento, it was used to pass signals between them. The castles were built in conjunction during the Byzantine period, however the exact date of their commission remains unknown. Noting the middle Byzantine architectural features present in the castle and the otherwise scarcity of archaeological evidence, D.M. Metcalf writes that "it is reasonable" to suggest that the castle was built with the St. Hilarion Castle as part of a major programme of works in the wake of the Seljuk advance in the late 11th century. Among the other theories put forward to explain their origin the popular are: In 965 , in 1091 by the rebel Rapsomates, during the rule of Eumathios Philokales , at the beginning of the 12th century as a countermeasure for the spread of the Crusader states. A Lusignan period legend claims that the castle was built by a Cypriot noblewoman who was seeking shelter from the Knights Templar in 1191, as such the castle was known as Leonne or Queen's Castle. The name Buffavento is of Italian origin and means “Defier of the Winds", the name may have been borrowed from a monastery in the Koutzoventi village.

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