The castle of Kolossi, also known as Kulas, is one of the most important extant fortification works in Cyprus from the era of Frank domination. It is directly linked to important events of the history of Cyprus. The most important of these being the conquest of the island by Richard Coeur-de-lion and -later on -by the Knights Templar and by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitallers)

DESCRIPTION OF THE FORTRESS OF KOLOSSI

The fortress of Kolossi, which reminds of a fairly large tower, was built in 1454 by the Grand Commander of the order of St. John of Jerusalem, Louis De Magnac, upon the ruins of an older fortress of the 13th century. The coat of arms of Magnac is found built-in on the eastern wall of the fortress.

The fortress was very strong and offered satisfactory security to the region. Its four sides have a length of 16 meters each and the walls are 1.25 meters thick. Their height is 21 meters. The exceptional sturdiness that characterized it was able to protect it throughout the passage of centuries and many mighty earthquakes.

The fortress is made of three floors. The first (ground floor), the second, and the third floor.

The ground floor was used as a storage place and is divided into three areas with pointy -equal among them -domes. In two out of the three areas there are outlets of water reservoirs.

The second floor is divided into two large halls. In the west hall there is a large, simple fireplace, revealing that the hall was used as a kitchen. In the other hall, to which the stone-made entrance leads, there is a 2.5 X 2.5 meters fresco depicting the crucifixion of Jesus, with the Virgin Mary on one side and St. John on the other side. The coat of arms of Louis de Magnac is found in the left, lower corner of the fresco.

In older times the entrance to the second floor was obtained through a suspended bridge on the south side, which was destroyed and was replaced in 1933 by stone-made stairs. In about the middle of the east side of the second floor there are stone-made stairs which lead to the ground floor. In the southeast corner of the second floor there is a second, stone-made, circular flight of stairs in the shape of a scaling ladder, which is made of 33 steps and leads you to the third floor and the roof.

The residence of the Grand Commander or of his first lieutenant was in the third floor. This was consisted of two large halls with each having elaborate fireplaces that carry the three-leafed emblem of Lois de Magnac. These two rooms were illuminated through eight windows -four in each room -shaped almost like squares, with the upper part arched and with stone-made seats on the sides.

The stone-made stairs lead from the third floor to the roof of the fortress, which had a square shape. The roof was protected by 19 embrasures -placed in its fours sides -and the "scorcher". The scorcher or killer extruded from the building with five openings, which are sized 40 X 40 centimeters and take up an overall length of 3 meters. Through those, the defenders of the fortress threw scorching oil or water so as to stop the enemy from entering the fortress. The scorcher was placed right above the entrance of the fortress.

A marble plate is found in the east side of the fortress, shaped like a large cross and carrying in its center an escutcheon (emblem in the shape of a shield), which is divided in four compartments and depicts the -then - full coat of arms of the Lusignans of Cyprus. The first compartment represents the emblem of Jerusalem, portraying a large cross amongst four smaller crosses. The second compartment represents the old Lusignan coat of arms and portrays a striped square on an erect lion. The third compartment represents the emblem of Cyprus and portrays an erect lion upon a golden frame, while the fourth compartment represents the emblem of Armenia and portrays a red, erect lion upon a silver frame. Over the escutcheon there is a crown, while on the two sides of the royal coat of arms of the Lusignan there are the coats of arms of the two grand magistrates of the order of the order of St. John of Jerusalem.

Exactly south of the main structure of the castle there is a yard enclosed with walls. There are also ruins of an auxiliary construction in the southwest side of the building, which was probably used as a storage area and a stable.

The remains of a factory that produced sugar from sugarcane, which was cultivated in large plantations in the region, are found in the east of the castle. The plants -which date back from the 14th century -consisted of three main and other auxiliary areas, covering a space of about 150 square meters. The primary structure is the sugar refinery plant that is a long and narrow, stone-made, arch-covered hall. From a built-in inscription found on the south external side of the building we know that it was repaired in 1591, when Pasha Murat was the governor of Cyprus. In the north of this hall lie the ruins of the water mill and the water tower. The water tower, which is preserved in a relatively good condition, was supplied with water by the river Kouris. Its water set the water mill in motion, which would grind the sugarcane with the force acquired as it fell -from a height of about 7 meters -onto the vane of the mill. The huge millstone - of 3.20 meters diameter -is preserved in the east side of the mill.