Casteliotissa Hall (Top-hane) in Old Town Nicosia, Cyprus скачать в хорошем качестве

Casteliotissa Hall (Top-hane) in Old Town Nicosia, Cyprus

The medieval Hall of Casteliotissa, or Top-hane, is the last remnant of a French palace complex built in the 14th century AD. The Hall of Casteliotissa is located about fifty metres from the Paphos Gate, at the edge of the Latin Quarter of the Old Town NICOSIA, in CYPRUS. The palace was built by the Lusignan dynasty that ruled Cyprus from 1192 to 1489 and extended outside of what is currently the walls. It has had several uses during its history. The Ottoman Turks used it as a munitions warehouse for the neighbouring military camp. Indeed, the name Top-hane means munitions warehouse in Turkish. Tophane was also the name of the parish. It was changed to Ayios Andreas (Saint Andrew) in a plebiscite of the – by then – mostly Christian residents of the parish in the 1940s. In the 1920s Casteliotissa was being used as a petrol store and thankfully in 1938 it passed into the hands of the Department of Antiquities. It was then used as a warehouse for items of the Cyprus Department of Antiquities. Finally, in 1990 it was restored. The restoration work was carried out in full observance of the original Gothic style and traditional materials. It is currently used as a hall for events.