Location information

Castle of Nafpaktos

NAFPAKTOS (Town) ETOLOAKARNANIA
   Several architectural phases are distinguished in the fortification walls of Naupactos, dated from the Greek antiquity until the Turkish occupation. Two walls run down the slope of the hill, starting from the top, one towards the east, and the other towards the west. Before they reach the coast, they form an angle and block the entrance to the harbour. Four transverse walls join these two, thus forming five sections. The enceinte is reinforced with rectangular and circular towers.
  The castle is built on the site of the ancient acropolis. Naupactos was destroyed by an earhtquake in A.D.553 and from the 8th century on, it became the capital of the fifth Theme of Byzantium. It remained under Greek control until 1204, when it was given away to the Venetians. In 1210, Michael Angelos Comnenos included the city in the properties of the Despotate of Epiros. In 1294 it came under the control of Philip d'Anjou and in 1360 was conquered by the Albanian leader, Ghino Buo Spata. From 1407 until 1444 it was occupied by the Venetians and then by the Turks, who kept it until 1687. From 1687 until 1699 it was again under the Venetian control and remained under Turkish domination until 1829.
  The site has not been systematically excavated. The trenches opened in 1980-81 to the north of the church of Prophetes Elias brought to light the remains of a Byzantine bath and a Byzantine church.
  Cleaning and consolidation work is conducted every year by the 8th Ephorate of Byzantine and Classical Antiquities. The crumbling sections of masonry are repaired and the foundations in all parts of the wall that present stability problems are restored.

As well, significant is the Clock Bell-tower:
   A square building made of dressed stone terminating in a cornice likewise of stone. On two sides hang the two round faces of the clock. Above it are four little pillars of brickwork, connected by semi-circular apses. It was built at the beginning of this century on the site of the Byzantine fortress (castro) of Naupaktos. The site is prominent and the bell-tower is a fine example of a particular category of architecture. In 1991 the clock was repaired.

Nafpaktos fortress

  Several architectural phases are distinguished in the fortification walls of Nafpaktos, dated from the Greek antiquity until the Turkish occupation. Two walls run down the slope of the hill, starting from the top, one towards the east, and the other towards the west. Before they reach the coast, they form an angle and block the entrance to the harbour. Four transverse walls join these two, thus forming five sections. The enceinte is reinforced with rectangular and circular towers.
History
  The castle is built on the site of the ancient acropolis. Nafpaktos was destroyed by an earhtquake in A.D. 553 and from the 8th century onwards, it became the capital of the fifth Theme of Byzantium. It remained under Greek control until 1204, when it was given away to the Venetians. In 1210, Michael Angelos Comnenos included the city in the properties of the Despotate of Epiros. In 1294 it came under the control of Philip d'Anjou and in 1360 it was conquered by the Albanian leader, Ghino Buo Spata. From 1407 until 1444 it was occupied by the Venetians and then by the Turks, who kept it until 1687. From 1687 until 1699 it was again under the Venetian control and remained under Turkish domination until 1829.
  The site has not been systematically excavated. The trenches that were opened in 1980-81 to the north of the church of Prophetes Elias brought to light the remains of a Byzantine bath and a Byzantine church.
  Cleaning and consolidation work is conducted every year by the 8th Ephorate of Byzantine and Classical Antiquities. The crumbling sections of masonry are repaired and the foundations in all parts of the wall that present stability problems are restored.

This text is cited December 2004 from the West Greece Region General Secretariat URL below, which contains images.

• http://www.westerngreece.gr/en/index.php?fmSearch=... (23 img.)

Church of Panaxiotissa (Dormition of the Virgin)

GAVROLIMNI (Village) NAFPAKTOS
   The church belongs to the domed, cross-in-square type and, more specifically to the "Helladic transitional type". The walls are built of limestone blocks enclosed with bricks. The high, elegant dome is richly decorated with brick and tile ornaments on the outside. Few traces of the wall paintings are preserved on the interior. The church has three entrances in the narthex but very few windows are opened in the walls.
   The church was the catholicon (main church) of a Byzantine monastery, dated by Orlandos to the end of the 10th century. On the basis of its architectural features (tripartite narthex, carefully built wall masonry, decoration of the dome, proportions of the window of the central apse), it is more securely dated to the last quarter of the 10th century A.D.
   Two trenches opened in 1983 in the foundations of the church revealed the original threshold of the north door and its foundation, as well as numerous burials. The foundations of the building and the outer pavement were restored in 1983. Later, in 1990, the roof was reconstructed and the joints in the wall masonry were repaired. By that time the restoration of the monument was completed.
   In a recent investigation of the area around the church, 13 fragments of sculpture were recorded. They are dated to the Early Christian period and they bear evidence for the existence of an Early Christian basilica on the site.

Early-Christian Basilica (Panagia Nafpaktiotissa)

NAFPAKTOS (Town) ETOLOAKARNANIA

Fetihe Mosque

Botsaris tower

The Town-clock - "Seraphim" (1914)