GREECE PELOPONNESE LAKONIA MYSTRAS

Breakfast in Mystras before entering the 'wonder of the Morea', one of the most fascinating sites on the Peloponnese that has justly been declared UNESCO World Heritage of Culture. It lies on a steep hill on the northern slopes of Mt. Taygetos, 6 km NW of Sparta. - Below: Behind the main entrance is a fortified gateway with yard, donjon, tower and several rooms.

In 1249 the Frankish leader William II de Villeharduin founded the castle on top of the hill below which a settlement developed. After 1262 it came under Byzantine control and was the seat of the secular and ecclesiastical authorities of the Byzantine Empire in the Peloponnese. Since 1348 it was the seat of the Despotate of Morea, the Byzantine name for the Peloponnese. In 1448 the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI Palaeologos, was crowned at Mystras and in 1460 the hill was captured by the Ottomans. For a short period Mystras came under the control of the Venetians (1687-1715) but was again taken over by the Turks. It was one of the first castles of Greece to be liberated in 1821. After the foundation of modern Sparta by king Otto in 1834 Mystras was deserted.

"The preserved overall urban design of the settlement, and the architecture of the Frankish castle, the Byzantine palace, houses an churches with their important paintings, make Mystras an invaluable source for the study of the medieval culture of Byzantium and Europe in general."

1. Main entrance - 2. Laskaris' House - 3. Saint-Christopher - 4. Krevata House - 5. Saint-Georges - 6. Peribleptos - 7. Frangopoulos' House - 8. Taxiarchs - 9. Pantanassa - 10. Monemvasia gate - 11. Saint-Nicolas - 12. Despots Palace and square - 13. Nafplio gate - 14. Upper entrance to the citadel - 15. Saint-Sophia - 16. Villehardouin's castle - 17. Hodigitria-Afendiko - 18. Saint-Theodores - 19. Evangelistria - 20. Metropolis