Follow me to the Castle Town of Mystras

Follow me to the Castle Town of Mystras

Follow me to the Castle Town of Mystras Mystras

The castle town spreads over the foothills of the natural fortress hill that in Byzantine times was known as Myzithras, which gave its name to the town. The walls of Mystras enclose monasteries, beautiful Byzantine churches, noble mansions and palaces, which date from the mid-13th to the 18th century There are two gates that allow entrance to the castle town: the Monemvasia gate to the east and the Anapliou (leading to Nafplio) to the north-east. At its peak the castle town had approximately 0,000 inhabitants. It was established in 149 by the Frankish Prince of Achaia, William II de Villehardouin. In 159, at the battle of Pelagonia, Villehardouin was taken prisoner bythe Byzantines. The emperor demanded that the Frankish lord cede as ransom for his freedom the castles of Monemvasia, Mani and Mystras, which were handed over three years later, in 1. The Byzantine era for Mystras ended in 140, when it was surrendered to the Ottomans. * 4 3 * 10Ν School visits to the castle town of Mystras should preferably commence in the opposite direction, from the acropolis (9) to the main entrance to the site (1). NOTE: 1. Agios Demetrios. The Laskaris House 3. The Phrangopoulos House 4. Peribleptos 5. Agioi Theodoroi. Hodegetria. Pantanassa 8. Palaces 9. Agia Sophia 10. Acropolis 1 9 8 5 3

B Ν 3 1. Choosing the footpath to the left you head towards the most beautiful noble houses on the foothills of the castle town of Mystras. Pause to admire the Laskaris house on the foothills. The house has a large semicircular arch on the ground floor and a veranda on the upper level with a view over the valley. It was one of the most imposing mansions of the age. The rooms on the upper floor are significant both for their architecture and for their finds. 1. As soon as you enter the Mystras site from the main gate, you can see to your right the Metropolis, the oldest church of the castle town, which is dedicated to Saint Demetrios. The church is a three-aisle basilica on the ground floor (which dates from the 13th century) and a cross-in-square with a dome on the upper level (15th century). The wall paintings were executed with a variety of techniques and from multiple workshops. Take a bit of time to admire them! 4

4 B 3 5 1 4. The Peribleptos is the catholicon or main church of a monastery dedicated to the Panagia or Virgin Mary and built in the mid-14th century, probably by the first Despot of Mystras, Manuel Kantakouzenos. Architecturally its style is a two-columned crossin-square with three externally pentagonal vaults at Sanctuary. Its iconography dates from the second half of the 14th century and is of exceptional artistry. Ν 5. 3. You have reached the House of Phrangopoulos with its lovely veranda, the solar that looks over the valley. The family lived in the anogi, the upper storey, while the ground floor was used as stables and storerooms. Choosing the path to the right of the main gate and the Metropolis of Mystras, you continue on to the top of the hill. First you encounter the church of the Agioi Theodoroi, built at the close of the 13th century, which belongs to the Monastery of Brontochio (or Vrontochi). It is an octagonal church with side chapels. 5

8 B 5 1 Ν. Welcome to the Monastery of Pantanassa! The imposing church was inaugurated as the catholicon of the monastery in 148. It follows the architectural plan of the church of the Hodegetria, which you just saw. Built with cloisonne masonry, it has decorative elements influenced by the West. Masterful frescos (dating from 1430) are preserved on the upper level, while the ground floor walls are decorated with wall paintings of the post-byzantine period.. You have reached the Church of Panagia Hodegetria, which was built at the start of the 14th century as the catholicon (i.e. main church) of the Monastery of Brontochion. The church is a basilica on the ground floor and a cross-in-square with five domes on the upper level, similar to the church of Agios Demetrios you already visited. You can admire the noteworthy wall paintings that date back to the 14th century.

9. B Near the palace quarter is the church of Agia Sophia, which was established in the middle of the 14th century. It is the catholicon of the patriarchal monastery of Christos Zoodotes (Christ the Life-giver). The church was built using cloisonne masonry with ornate clay decorations. 8. 10 9 10. Congratulations! You ve reached the top of the hill, where the acropolis is protected by a fortress. Here you can admire the magnificent view! Ν 8 You have reached the heart of the castle town, the complex of Palaces, which were the seat and residence of the Despot of Mystras and his family. This B of luxurious buildings complex was built at the time the castle town was established and completed around about the start of the 15th century. The most important buildings are the Kantakouzenos wing and the Palaeologos wing. The nobility of Mystras resided in houses around the palace.

MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORT GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF ANTIQUITIES AND CULTURAL HERITAGE DIRECTORATE OF MUSEUMS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND COMMUNICATION Project coordinators: Maria Lagogianni, Ph.D. Archaeology Suzana Houlia Kapeloni, Archaeologist General editing: Tonia Koutsouraki, Archaeologist, Alexandra Seleli, Archaeologist/Museologist Critical reading: Μaria Borboudaki, Ph.D. (Archaeology) Graphic Design editor: Spilios Pistas, graphic artist Texts: Iro Mathioudaki, Ph.D. (Archaeology) Text translation: Katerina Apostolaki, translator/interpreter Digital and graphics design: Pashalia Tsagarian, graphic designer Irene Charalampidi, graphic designer http://odysseus.culture.gr, Mystras, Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia We would like to express our gratitude to the Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia for providing us with photographs for this leaflet. Copyright 015 Ministry of Culture and Sport ISBN 98-90-38-13-0 The leaflet Follow me to the Castle Town of Mystras within the theme of Images of Byzantium was created and digitized in 015, within the framework of Action code no. MIS 339815 Updating and digitizing educational material to support the educational process, which is implemented by the Directorate of Museums as part of the Enterprise Programme Education and Lifelong Learning and jointly funded by the European Union (European Community Fund) and by national funds.