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. in about 1280 A.D. and was destroyed by
the Turks. The castle of Buffavento, upon the summit of the mountain,
3240 feet above the sea, is of far more ancient date, and is interesting
from the fact of its having during the conquest by Richard Coeur de Lion
succumbed to the assault conducted in person by that king. The castle of
Kyrenia had already fallen, and the wife, daughter, and treasures of
Isaac Comnenus fell into the hands of the victorious English, led by the
gallant Guy de Lusignan in the absence of Richard I., who was at that
time incapacitated through illness, which detained him at Lefkosia. This
fortification was probably the original defence of the town, and could
have had no relation to the present work, which is of a far later date,
and was constructed specially for an armament of heavy guns.
Captain Savile (101st Royal Irish), in his admirable compilation from
all the principal works that have been written upon Cyprus, states:--
"Richard was now able to turn his thoughts to his
neglected crusade; he returned to Limasol, and sent
Isaac's daughter, with his own wife and sister, on before
him to St. Jean d'Acre. On 5th June, 1191, Richard
himself sailed from Cyprus, leaving the island
in charge of Richard de Canville and Robert de
Turnham, with injunctions to keep the army in Syria
well provided with provisions.
"Isaac was placed in silver fetters and taken with
King Richard to Syria, where he was handed over to
the Hospitallers, since Knights of Rhodes, for safe
custody, and was by them confined in the Castle of
Margat, near Tripoli, where he died shortly afterwards.
"Several insurrections subsequently occurred in
Cyprus, but were all suppressed by the decisive and
prompt action of Robert de Turnham.
"The Templars now entered into negotiations with
King Richard for the purchase of Cyprus, and they
eventually obtained it from him for the sum of 100,000
Saracenic golden besants; it was further arranged that
40,000 golden besants should be paid at once, and the
remainder as soon as it could be derived from the
revenues of the island."
According to a high authority, De Mas Latrie (see L'Histoire de l'Ile de
Chypre, vol. ii. p. 7), the above sum would now represent about 304,000
pounds sterling.
Richard had at once appreciated the importance of Cyprus as a base of
operations that would secure a supply of provisions within two days'
sail of his salient point of attack, and to which he could retreat in
the event of failure.
