Castle of Patras

Built in the second half of the 6th century AD, the Castle of Patras rises on the northern foothills of Mount Panachaikon, on the site of the city's ancient Acropolis. lt consists of a long and wide outer enclosure with towers and bastions, surrounded by a moat on three sides, which covers an area of approximately 22,600 square meters. The entrance is in the middle of its east side. The inner enclosure with its six towers, known as the Ήexapyrgion', stands on a natural mound in the Castle's northeast section.

The Castle's continuous use for the region's defence and as an administrative and military centre from its foundation to modern times had as a consequence the continual repairs and additions, a testimony to all of the peoples that have passed through it. ln 805, the Castle was besieged by the Slavs and Saracens, whose defeat was attributed to a miracle by Saint Andrew, the city's patron saint. ln 1205, Frankish knights occupied Patras and constructed the Castle's inner enclosure. ln 1408, the Pope leased Patras to the Venetians, whose main addition to the Castle is the circular bastion at the northwest end. Konstantinos Palaiologos, Despot of Mystra, occupied the Castle in 1430 and added two towers, one on the south side and another at the north end of the inner enclosure, on the west side of which eight semi-circular arches were built. ln 1458, the Castle surrendered to the Ottomans, whose interventions are evident in almost all of the Castle's parts. The North Wall was reinforced by a circular tower, and polygonal bastions were built at the outer enclosure's southeast corner and the inner enclosure's northeast section. The Ottomans also built administrative buildings and a mosque inside the Castle; part of the mosque still stands to a considerable height.

The Castle fell to the Venetian forces led by Francesco Morosini in 1687, but was recaptured by the Ottomans in 1715. lt was finally liberated by the French General Maison in 1828 and handed over to the Greek independence army. From 1950 to 1975, the Castle belonged to the city of Patras. lt was subsequently ceded to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and has since functioned as an archaeological site under the jurisdiction of the 6th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities.