Castle of Methoni
The castle of Methoni lies at the southernmost point of the west coast of the Peloponnese, in a place that had been fortified since the 7th century BC. Until 1204 AD it was used as a fort by the Byzantines, while in 1209 AD the Venetians, according to the treaty of Sapienza, became the rulers of the area. During the first era of Venetian occupation (1209-1500), Methoni was established as a financial center and commercial port and the town reached its peak. It was then that the magnificent castle was erected with its massive fortification walls, one of the most distinctive defensive structures of medieval Venetian architecture.
In 1500 the Sultan Bayezid II (1447-1512) seized the castle of Methoni, initiating a period of turbulent history and prolonged decline in the region. By 1685 the Venetian force under Francesco Morosini (1618-1694) reconquered Peloponnese, but the Ottomans came back in 1715; this time their dominance was complete and would remain unchallenged until the early 19th century Greek War of Independence. Methoni became the seat of the Pasha of Western Messenia until 1828 when it was liberated by the Moreas expedition force led by General Nicolas Maison.
Today, the castle is in an excellent state of preservation, while considerable remains of the medieval town still survive within its area: the Byzantine church of St. Sofia, the 1833 church of the Transformation, erected by the French liberating force (1828-1833), the Turkish baths, along with ruins of urban buildings.
Between 1500 and 1573, on the rocky islet to the south of the castle, the Ottomans built Bourtzi (meaning tower); this was an octagonal fort aimed to reinforce the defensive system of the area, but it also served as a prison and torture chamber. [Source: Greek Travel Pages]
