In the southeastern side of
Peloponnese stands, full of pride, the immense fortress of
Methoni and occupies the whole cape.
In this small peninsula is a small town, which had been fortified since ancient times and was famous for its port.
According to Pausanias, the city is named
Mothoni. It is assumed that this name comes either from the daughter of Ineas either from the small fortified islet, the "
Mothon lithos". Powerful "protector" of the city is the rock (which justifies the second version), which protects the harbor from the sea.
Thanks to the strong fortifications and its advantageous geographical position at a very important place, it is an attraction for thousands of years. From the 12th century, the Venetians were tried to get it in their possession and until the early of the 19th century it was under the Turkish rule.
Today, the walls of the fort, though in ruins, are still impressive. The castle is surrounded by the sea on three sides and on the north side, facing the mainland, there is a strongly fortified citadel. The castle is separated from the mainland by a ditch. Initially, the connection was done through a wooden bridge.
The entrance is on the north side of the castle. Two large ramparts there are left and right of the entrance that are linked through a passage.
It must be noted that the north side of the wall reaches the 11 meters. Apart from the protection offered by the wall, the fortifications are strengthened by two towers, one square on the north side and one round in the Northwest.
The castle has not only a main gate. After this, a domed road leads to the second gate and this in turn into a third. The last gate was the entrance to a residential area. The settlement was surrounded by a wall length of 6 meters with the assistance of five towers.
Inside the castle is the
Church of the Transfiguration, the construction of which is attributed to the French of liberation group in the early 19th century and is one of the most remarkable monuments of the castle.
In the southern part of the exterior, the imposing Sea Gate appears, which was recently restored. Adjacent, there are two towers that are linked with one platform.
From the gate, a corridor was extended that led to the fortified
island of Bourtzi, which functioned as a place of torture during the Ottoman rule.
The west side of the castle is the one with no particular fortification. This is because it is the only side that is not easily accessible by sea because of the surrounding rocks.
It must be noted that the west side has not been so much damaged so it isn't restored.
The east wall originally reached to the sea where today a sandy beach is. In parallel with this wall there was a pier, which was functioning as a small port (mandrachio), of second importance, because of the other big one in northeast.
In many places, one can see banners of Venetian origin, like the inscription on the north side of
Loredan bastion from the era of the administration of General Loredan at Peloponnese..
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