We were recently able to betake ourselves away from our balcony long enough to go visit Lemesos old town. Since we’re close to the centre of the city, it took us only about 15 minutes to walk there.
A bit of history. Lemesos has been inhabited since at least 2000 BCE, but it is not much mentioned in ancient sources. The Byzantines called it ‘Neapolis’ (New Town). During the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart (ruled 1189-1199) put in at Lemesos and asked the governor of Cyprus for contributions to the crusade. The governor, Isaac Komnenon, initially agreed, but when he failed to support the crusade, Richard had him arrested and took over the entire island. Richard also destroyed the nearby town of Amathus and transferred its population to Lemesos.
In 1489 the Cypriot queen, Catherine Cornaro, made over the island to the Venetians, who feared Ottoman designs on Cyprus. The island was under Venetian control for almost a century. And the Venetians weren’t wrong: in July of 1570 the Ottomans conquered Lemesos without resistance.
Lemesos old town has a lot of lovely little streets with brightly coloured houses. A new shiny marina stands on the spot where the Old Port once was. There is a lovely walkway along the coast that runs out from the old town for about a mile and a half to the northeast.
One of the main sights of old town is the Lemesos Castle. It stands on the site of what was originally a Christian basilica. When the Venetians were in control of the island, they rebuilt the castle, but what you see today is largely the work of the Ottomans. It is not particularly prepossessing, being only a modest rectangle. Inside there is a medieval museum which ranges over three floors and gives a good sense of the city’s history.
A particularly noteworthy building in old town is the Cathedral of Ayia Napa. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it has two beautiful towers and a series of graceful arches of different design over two storeys. Another lovely church is the Cathedral of Panagia Pantanassa ‘Catholics’, built only in 2012 and dedicated to St Nicholas. It also has two towers, but boasts a graceful dome, and its pale pink exterior perfectly suits the Cypriot light.
Last but not least is ‘Heroes Square’, bordered by cafes and restaurants. The Square was created in 1910, and today it is dominated by a monument built in 1946, which commemorates all those who died in the fight for freedom in Greece and Cyprus. Also in the square is the Rialto theatre, built in 1933 where we will be taking in a film this weekend.
We haven’t even begun to talk about the great food to be found in Lemesos Old Town, so we’ll have to save that for a future post. Stay tuned!
