Having Skirted The Amphitheatre Upon The Monastery Level, We Passed
Through An Orange-Garden And Entered The Courtyard.
The church occupies
the right side, and the wall is fronted by cloisters which, supported
upon arches, form a quadrangle.
A stone staircase ascends from the
cloisters to the refectory upon the left; this is in considerable ruin,
but must originally have formed an imposing hall. Upon the flat roof of
the cloisters, which is perfect for three sides of the quadrangle, a
magnificent view is obtained through the fine old Gothic open window,
which looks down sheer to the great depth below, and commands the entire
country seaward. Descending into the courtyard to the northern cloister
we pass two large sarcophagi of white marble. One of these has been
elaborately worked in rich garlands of flowers and very grand bulls'
heads, together with nude figures, all of which have been much damaged.
These sarcophagi have been used as cisterns for containing water, as the
tap is still visible. Immediately opposite is the entrance to the great
hall, which is in good repair, as a new cement floor was added by the
British authorities, with the intention of converting it into a
temporary hospital when the troops were suffering from fever at Kyrenia.
This hall is 102 feet long and 33 feet wide, with a height of upwards of
30 feet. Nothing can exceed the beauty of the view from the windows of
this grand entrance, and in the deep recesses we found Sir Garnet and
Lady Wolseley enjoying the scene, while our host, Major McCalmont,
welcomed his guests in this splendid vestige of the Knights Templars.
The abbey, which belonged to the Latin Church, was built during the
Lusignan dynasty by Hugh III.
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