Hidden beauties of Greece
Olympia | Nafplion | Monemvasia | Kalavryta | Delphi | Meteora | Mt. Olympus | Mt. Pelio | Zagorohoria
Mystras - The
Byzantine fortress town.
Mystras is
one of the most exciting cities in a beautiful position
in Peloponnese. Standing still in time, the dead city
lies on a steep slope of a hill with the fortified
citadel at its top. The whole of Mystras is an open-air
museum; A reminder of glorious era of power and culture.
Its fortifications and churches, its palaces and
mansions, its roads and fountains, charm thousands of
visitors daily and offers them valuable insights in the
evolution and culture of the Byzantines and spectacular
views.
For two centuries Mystras had a brilliant history full of
glory, splendour and political, social and cultural
contributions. Its story begins in the mid-13th century
when the Franks were dominant in the Peloponnese. In 1249
Villehardouin II built an impregnable fortress at the top
of a hill called Mystras or Mizithras. Ten years later
Villehardouin found himself to be a prisoner of the
Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos and bought his
freedom by handing over the fortresses of Mystras,
Monemvasia and Mani. Mystras offered security, so that
the inhabitants of neighbouring cities made their homes
on the slopes surrounding the fortress. The settlement
and the Hora (town) were protected by a wall, but these
new houses were built outside the enclosure. Another wall
protected the new settlement, Kato Hora. The
"strategoi" (= generals) governed the town, and
as of 1308, when the seat of the Diocese had been moved
to Lacedaemonia, Mystras became the capital of the
Peloponnese and the seat of the Seignioly (Despotate) of
the Moreas, with a ruler or despot who enjoyed a tenure
for life.
 See the
video on Mystras.
The
Palaces of the despots of Morea dominate Mystras
from their rocky foundations in the centre of Ano Hora.
It is a complex of buildings built at different times.
The first, the "mansion of the Katakouzenoi",
was constructed in the first years, perhaps by the
Franks. The second edifice dates from the same period
(1250-1350). The third, a four-storey building, was
erected between 1350 and 1400, as was the fourth, a
two-storey mansion which was the residence of the despot.
The fifth building (1400-1450) was the palace of the
"Paleologus" Family. Its length is 38 m. and
its width 12 m. The first storey was intended for the
departments of the Seigniory. The second was the throne
hall. The abandoned palaces constitute an attraction for
the modern visitor. After their restoration, they are a
vivid reminder of an era that has left an indelible mark
on history as is the Grand Square before them, the site
of official displays during the days of Mystras' glory
and a market in later years, when the town was a busy
commercial centre.
The
Fortress: At the top of the hill, at an altitude
of 620 m., the fortress was built in 1249 by
Villehardouin II. In later years many improvements and
additions were made. It has two yards, with a gate for
each. In the outer yard is a sturdy circular tower, a
cistern and the ruins of buildings dating from the years
of Turkish occupation. In the inner yard is the abandoned
residence of the governor, a cistern, a circular tower
and a small church, perhaps the oldest edifice in
Mystras.
The
Walls: There are two lines of fortification in
Mystras. The inner wall, which was constructed to protect
the first inhabitants, encloses the Palaces of the
Despots. The outer wall was constructed later, to protect
the inhabitants of Kato Hora. The fortifications are
complemented by square-shaped towers.
The
Gates: Mystras had three gates: the fortified
Gate in the outer wall - today the main entrance for
visitors - the Upper Gate (Fortress Gate) and the Gate of
Nafplion, high up on the northern side of the inner wall,
fortified with square and circular towers and with an
iron portal that could be lowered and lifted. Internal
communication between Kato and Ano Hora was through the
Gate of Monemvasia, also known as Sideroporta ("Iron
Gate").
The
Mansions and Houses: History and daily life in
Mystras emerge from the centuries-old winding alleys and
its mansions and houses. Old or more recent, most have
retained their initial form and constitute a valuable
source of information regarding architecture, the manner
of construction and daily life in the 13th century and
later. The most significant - because better preserved -
are the Laskaris mansion near Marmara, the Frangopoulos
mansion between the Perivleptos and the Pantanassa, and
the Palataki near Agios Nikolaos in Ano Hora; the various
stages of its construction place it between the second
half of the 13th and the first years of the 15th century.
The
Churches: More than 25 churches contribute with
their architecture and history to the special character
Mystras. Agios Dimitrios, Evangelistria, Agioi Theodoroi,
Panagia Odigitria, The Perivleptos, Pantanassa, Agia
Sofia...
The
Byzantine Museum: The museum of Mystras is housed
in the two - storeys building at the north courtyard of
the Cathedral of Agios Demetrios. It was founded in 1951
and since then its collections have been considerably
enriched. It contains collections of Byzantine sculpture,
jewellery, pottery, coins, fragments of wall paintings,
portable post-Byzantine icons, and pieces of fabric. Tel:
+30 27310 83377 (check always the working hours).
A two day tour
visiting Sparta - Mystras -Gythion & Monemvasia is
organised (minimum group size, 5 persons).
 
Affiliated websites: astoria travel, astoria of Athens, Tours to Greece.
|
