Methoni Castle

Methoni

The small town of Methoni is on the south western tip of the Peloponnese. It is dominated by its impressive fortress stretching into the sea separated from the town by a wide (and now dry) moat.  Methoni fortress joins those in Crete and Cyprus as a stepping stone on the pilgrim route to the holy land. The pretty town with its pleasant old houses with wrought-iron balconies shelters behind the fortress and has a delightfully lazy Greek air. 

Homer called Methoni "rich in vines" and tradition maintains that the town is so called because the donkeys (oni) carrying its wine used to get drunk (metho) from the heavy aroma.

Methoni beach lies below the fortress and is well known for its magnificent, uncrowded, long stretch of sand and shallow sea. It was awarded a blue flag in 2001 and is ideal for families. In season there is a good selection of traditional Greek tavernas, restaurants, bars, banks. and supermarkets. 

Medieval Arvhway at Methomi Castle

The Fortress of Methoni

The fortress is the best preserved in the entire Mediterranean. Evidence of past visitors includes the remnants of a Venetian cathedral and a Turkish bath within the fortress walls.  In the town are some enormous Venetian wells whose marble rims are furrowed by the pressure of huge ropes over the centuries. Inside the fortress is an entire medieval town and you can literally spend hours wandering around.

The site was fortified as early as the 7th century B.C., and in the period between 395 A.D. and 1204 A.D. was used as a Byzantine fortress. The area was dominated by the Franks for a very short period and in 1206 was captured by the Venetians who strengthened the fortification, incorporating the pre-Christian defensive structures. In 1500 Methoni was captured by the Turk Bayazit Pasha, again came under Venetian occupation from 1685 until 1715, and was for a second time dominated by the Turks who kept it under their control until 1829, when it was liberated by the French general Maison, along with other towns of the Peloponnese.

For many years the buildings of the fortress have been restored by the Archaeological Service.

The most important monuments of the site are:

 The fortress and remains of a secular, religious buildings inside the fortified area.
 The Byzantine church of Aghia Sophia (Holy Wisdom).
 The remains of Turkish Baths.
 The ruins of a house which was used as the residence of Ibrahim Pasha in 1826, and of General Maison after the liberation.
 The church of the Metamorphosis (Transfiguration). A single-aisled church built in 1833 by the French liberation army.
 The remains of structures from the Second World War. The Cisterns and remains of the cemetery of the British prisoners.
 "Bourtzi" . A fortified islet at the south end of the fortress, occupied by an octagonal tower with isodomic wall masonry.

For mor information about Methoni follow this link www.methoni.gr

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