Listed 10 sub titles with search on: Sights for wider area of: "PYLIA Province MESSINIA" .
KORONI (Small town) MESSINIA
The castle of Koroni is erected in the south part of the city of Koroni.
In the classical years it was a simple, plain fort but it later became a byzantine
fort, which was conquered by the Franks(the French) of the 4th crusade in 1205.
With the treaty of the island of Sapientza (1209) it was given to Venetians, which
they turned into a fort for their port in order to promote their commercial products.
In August 1500, it is coquered by the Turks and many residers flee
for Zakynthos, Kefallonia and later for Lower Italy.
In 1532, the emperor of German and Spain, Charles the 5th, wanting
to create a distraction and provoke the sultan Souleiman the Magnificent, he
sends armed forces to the Peloponnese with the admiral Andrea Doria.
Doria's expedition was a failure and he had to leave Methoni in
1534 taking 2000 refugees from Koroni who settled in Lower Italy. The Venetians
come back (1685-1715) with Frank Morozini.
In 1715, the Turks come back and stay until 1828 turkish families
settle in the castle and both social and financial decay starts, which is completed
with the bombardment of Orlof (1770).
In 1828, it is liberated and given to the Greek goverment by the
French general Maizon with Nikitaras as commandant.
This castle is ruined today but, the old-calendar convent of holy
John the Baptist, the ruined Byzantine temple of St. Sophia, the church of St.
Haralambos and the «RESALTO», a place to honour the Greek fighters who tried
to conquer the castle in 1824, are preserved.
In addition, the hewn tombs, Venectian reservoirs, Turkish baths
and the magnificent «domes» are preserved. In every corner of the castle there
is a «dome», that is, a gunpowder storehouse or bizihanes, while the best «dome»
was blown up the Germans in 1944 during their withdrawal.
This text is cited Jan 2003 from the Messenia Prefecture Tourism Promotion Commission URL below, which contains image.
NIOKASTRO (Castle) PYLOS
Tel: +30 27230 22955
Two castles are built on the summits of the two hills at the ends
of the Bay of
Navarino, overlooking the town of Pylos: the older castle of Navarino, called
Palaiokastron or Palaionavarinon and the more recent castle, called Niokastron.
The latter was built in 1573 by the Turks, and in 1686 was given over
to the Venetians. It again came under Turkish domination in 1715, along with the
castle of Koroni and Palaionavarino. In 1816 it was captured by Ibrahim Pasha
and remained under his control until 1828 when it was liberated by the French
general Maison. During the Second World War it was used as the seat of the Italian
and, later, the German headquarters.
Large-scale restoration work has been carried out for many years.
The restored hexagonal Fortress on the top of the hill houses the Museum and the Underwater Archaeological
Research Centre.
The most important monuments of the site are:
The
Castle.It is divided into two main sections:
- Enceinte-Lower Castle; the larger of the two sections occupies the slope of the hill and is built of ashlar limestone blocks.
- Upper Castle; hexagonal fortress with massive battlements and projecting bastions which protect five of the six corners of the walls.
Church of the Metamorphosis (Transfiguration). Cross-in-square domed church dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ. It was used as a Moslem mosque and was later converted into a Christian church.
General Maison's building. Rectangular, two-storeyed stone
building erected in the 19th century. It has been reconstructed and now houses
the Museum and the offices.
The most important monuments and architectural totals are:
- The castle which is divided in two parts:
Compound-Lower castrle: The bigger of the two parts spreads on the slope of the hill and its perimeter is 1566 m. It takes up on area of 80.000 m2 and it's built with hewn limestone.
Upper castrle: An hexagonal fort with strong ramparts and projecting bastions which cover five out of its six corners.
- The church of the transformation of the Saviour; Cross-shaped church with a gothic-style dome which was built by the Franks. It functioned as a Muslim mosque first and subsequently as a Christian Church.
- General Mezon's building: Rectangular two-storey building, with stones of the early 19th century, in which, after its restoration, there is a museum and offices.
This text is cited Jan 2003 from the Messenia Prefecture Tourism Promotion Commission URL below, which contains image.
METHONI (Small town) MESSINIA
The early christian cemetary - Byzantine Hermitage of St Onoufrios, which is carved
into the natural rock 3 km. north of Methoni close to the road going to Pylos.
The monument was excavated during August 1967 and the year 1968. It is a complex
of escavated chambers into the rock and open air graves. The area around the monument
has served during ancient and medieval times as a poros quarry his is where construcion
material for the building of the Castle of Methoni was used. To the east of the
monument and at a distance of 400 meters in the area called Agaki, lies another
equally important monument of the area, the Byzantine Temple of St. Bassileios.
The vistitor can visit the area easily, observe the monyments and enjoy the magnificent
view from the hill.
This text is cited March 2004 from the Municipality of Methoni URL below, which contains image.
On the Agios Nikolaos hill, 2km away from town.
SCHIZA (Small island) INOUSSES
Στη Δυτική πλευρά της νήσου Σχίζας και σε απόσταση 400 μ από την θάλασσα, υπάρχει
ένα θαυμάσιο ανεξερεύνητο σπήλαιο γνωστό ως "Μαύρη Τρύπα". Το σπήλαιο
είναι διανοιγμένο μέσα σε Ηωκαινικό Παλαιοκαινικό ασβεστόλιθο. Η πορεία μέσα στο
σπήλαιο είναι πολύ δύσκολη. Εκεί που μπορεί να φτάσει ο παράτολμος εξερευνητής
είναι η αίθουσα, η οποία χωρίζεται σε μικρότερους θαλάμους. Το θέαμα των σταλακτιτών
και σταλαγμιτών είναι υπέροχο. Έχουν εντοπιστεί όστρακα προϊστορικών χρόνων. Το
σπήλαιο παρουσιάζει Αρχαιολογικό, Γεωλογικό και Τουριστικό ενδιαφέρον.
Το κείμενο παρατίθεται τον Μάρτιο 2004 από την ακόλουθη ιστοσελίδα του Δήμου Μεθώνης
SAPIENTZA (Small island) METHONI
On the south part of the Porto Loggo bay, a path starts, via which the visitor
can visit the south part of the island where the lighthouse of Sapientza is located.
It is an impressive octagonal stone building of 18 metres in height built by the
English circa 1890. At its base there are rooms for the lighthouse personnel.
By climbing the 75 stone steps we reach the top of the lighthouse. The view is
spectacular. The distance covered byt the lighthouse beam duriing the first years
of its operation was 40 miles, while today, this distance has been reduced to
27 miles.
This extract is cited March 2004 from the Municipality of Methoni URL below.
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