The Methoni castle – actually a fortified city – is one of the most important and beautiful castles in Greece. It was built by the Venetians after 1209 on a rock that penetrates the sea and was separated from the land by a manmade moat.
Today, the fort, although in ruins, is impressive. The castle of Methoni covers the entire area of the rock to the small island that has been fortified with an octagonal tower and is protected by the sea on three sides. The northern part, which looks towards the country, is protected from land attacks by a heavily fortified wall and raised section.
History
At the site of the castle of Methoni since ancient times is already a city. Homer and Pausanias in their times name the city as Pedasos, Mothoni, Mothon. During the 4th century BC. the city was strengthened and it remained an independent city until even in Roman times. Through the ages, Methoni has always been an important port and one of the most powerful cities of the Peloponnese.
Since the 12th century the Venetians wanted to take Methoni because it was in the middle of their route from Venice to the East. In 1206, Methoni was occupied and in 1209 a treaty was signed with Geoffrey de Villehardouin which eventually occupied a large part of the Peloponnes by the Venetians. Methoni was well strengthened by the Venetians by that it could develop into an important trading center with great prosperity.
This drew the attention of the Ottomans who cherished the idea of conquering the area. After a bloody battle, the Turks conquered Methoni on August 9, 1500. The first period of 300 years of Venetian occupation was over. The existing population was exterminated and new residents from surrounding villages were brought in to populate the city again. The first period of Turkish (Ottoman) occupation was a fact. They occupied Methoni until July 10, 1686; the day they surrendered to the Venetians, with which a (short) 2nd period of Venetian occupation began. Once again (because the existing population had been exterminated) new residents from other parts of the country were transported to Methoni. Less than 30 years later, in 1715, the Turks were back and besieged Methoni. The Venetians surrendered and disappeared. During this period there was no maintenance on the fortified city, the city was dilapidated, the population declined, the battlements and other parts of the walls were in poor condition and the harbor had become shallow.
When the Greek Rebellion against the Turkish invaders began in 1821, Methoni was not taken back by the Greeks. In 1825 Pasha Ibrahim was sent by the Turkish occupiers to Methoni to fight the Greeks from there. In 1829, Methoni was finally freed by the French, led by General Maison, among others.
Structure, fortification and buildings
The entrance is in the middle of the north side and is accessible via a stone bridge with 14 arches, which was built over the canal by the French engineers who accompanied General Maison in 1829. The entrance gate ends in a round arch on the right. In the wall on the landside we see a plaque with a relief of the weapon of an important Venetian family. At different parts of the fort there are Venetian emblems with the winged lion of St. Mark and inscriptions to find.
Immediately after the central gate is a paved road that leds through a second and a third gate into the castle, where the city of Methoni was. It was separated from the northern (military) part by a low wall (about 6 meters), reinforced with five towers (four squares and one octagonal).
In the large interior space are ruins of the houses where the Venetian gentlemen lived during the Venetian period, the cobbled street leading to the sea, the ruins of a Turkish bath, the Byzantine church of St. Sophia, parts of Doric pillars, a monolithic granite pillar (1493/4), with a Byzantine style, capitals supposed to be either the winged lion of Venice or the bust of Morozini. That is why it is called “Morozini’s stele”.
On the left side of the entrance (viewed from the inside) are the ruins of the building that Pasha Ibrahim used as a residence in 1825 and later General Maison. In the interior of the castle are also a few cisterns (water cellars).
On the southern part of the walls is the spectacular sea gate. It consists of two high square towers (16 meters), connected by a platform (about 18 meters long and 6 wide) and topped with bastions. The towers were built with large porous stones and had rooms in their interior. A paved path stretches over a small bridge to the small fortified island of Bourtzi. This is the place where many soldiers and inhabitants of Methoni were massacred, when the Turks occupied the fort in 1500.
Bourtzi dates from the period after 1500 and is often used as a prison. It has an octagonal tower with two floors. On every floor there is a parapet with bastions. The tower ends in a round dome. Under the ground floor there was a water cellar. The whole dates from the first period that the Turks occupied the fort.
The western part of the walls is not as well built as the other. The wall was reinforced with 5 square towers, dating from the first Venetian period. This part with the rocks and the rough sea makes it difficult to attack the castle and this is probably the reason why not much attention was paid to the construction. Moreover, this part of the castle seems to have suffered less damage, as well as fewer repairs.
The east side of the walls was initially at the seaside. Nowadays the beach is in front of it. Parallel to the eastern wall, up to the Bourtzi, was a pier. This created a small fortified harbor while the large one ran to the northeast where ships could be pulled. The wall was reinforced with towers on this side. The long east side has undergone many repairs, performed on the first Venetian battlements of the 13th century, mainly during the second Venetian occupation and the Turkish occupation. Part of the Byzantine fort has been preserved in one of the towers. On the east side a small gate was protected by a tower. On the southeast side the ruins of a Turkish tower have been preserved.
