The castle was situated on the northern side of Famagusta Bay, to the south-west of
Gastria village. In 1191, Cyprus was taken by
Richard the Lionheart during his campaign against the island's ruler
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus. Richard subsequently sold the island to the
Knights Templar, whose rule abruptly ended after a major revolt in
Nicosia. Cyprus was then resold to
Guy of Lusignan. Gastria Castle is first mentioned in 1210, when the royal regent
Walter of Montbéliard sought refuge in the fortress with his allies the Templars. He had previously refused to render an account of his administration of the royal treasury to the newly crowned
Hugh I of Cyprus, subsequently fleeing to the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. A period of peace ended with the death of Hugh in 1218.
A struggle over who should act as the kingdom's regent ensued, pitting the
House of Ibelin with the local supporters of
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor against the
House of Lusignan. Frederick's arrival in
Limassol in 1228 escalated the conflict into an open war. In 1229,
John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut returned to Cyprus through Gastria's port. In 1232, after a defeat at the
Battle of Agridi, Frederick's few remaining supporters requested permission to hide in Gastria. Having fought Frederick at
Acre in 1229 the Templars refused and those who attempted to hide in the ditch were apprehended. Afterwards, the Lusignans continued their reign interrupted only by occasional palace coups. In 1279,
Hugh III of Cyprus dismantled the castle and expelled the Templars, after the latter declared their support for
Charles I of Naples. In 1308, the castle was granted to the
Knights Hospitaller. In 1310,
Henry II of Jerusalem passed through Gastria while en route to his exile to Armenia. It was no longer mentioned as a castle from that point on. ==Architecture==