Belvoir Fortress
The fortress of Belvior has both an outer fortification and an inner castle. A moat, hewn out of the same bedrock quarried to build the castle, encircles the structure on three sides. Towers stood in each corner and in the center of the outer walls so the archers could be closer to anyone trying to attack the fortress. Small postern gates led from each tower into the moat, enabling the knights to attack anyone trying to undermine the walls. The entrance is on the east. A huge outer tower defended the gate area.Inside the outer wall was a smaller fortress, or keep. It consisted of four vaulted walls (enclosing two stories) and a courtyard. Cisterns for water were dug beneath the vaulted rooms. The upper-story rooms were plastered and painted with colored frescoes.
There was also a church on this floor. It was made of limestone and not basalt, like the rest of the fortress. Its chapel measured about 25 by 55 feet. One of the stones found there was formally used as a lintel in a synagogue and has a menorah carved on it. This seems appropriately symbolic. The Crusaders destroyed the worship centers of other faiths to build their own. In the process, they lost the opportunity to influence the world they lived in and damaged the reputation of Christianity for generations to come.
But did Jesus call his people to be fortress builders or community builders. That is the question posed by Belvoir
