Patras Castle

Patras Castle (Greek: Κάστρο Πατρών) is a medieval structure in Patras, Greece. It was built around the mid-6th century AD above the ruins of the ancient acropolis of the city, on a low outlying hill of the Panachaiko Mountain and ca. 800 m from the sea. The castle covers 22,725 m² and consists of a triangular outer wall, strengthened by towers and gates and further protected originally by a moat, and an inner compound on the northeastern corner, also protected by a moat.

The first castle on the spot was built by Roman emperor Justinian I after the catastrophic earthquake of 551, re-using building material from pre-Christian structures. One of these spolia, the torso and head of a marble Roman statue, became part of the city's folklore, a sort of genius loci. It is known as the "Patrinella", a maiden who is supposed to have been transformed into a man during Ottoman times, guards the city against disease and weeps whenever a prominent citizen of Patras dies.

The fort remained in constant use thereafter, even until the Second World War. In the Byzantine period, it was besieged by Slavs, Saracens, Normans and many others, but it never fell. In particular, the successful repulsion of a great siege of 805 AD by the Arabs and the Slavs was attributed to the city's patron saint, St Andrew.

In 1205, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, it was taken over by the Franks, who strengthened it further, opening a moat on all three sides. In 1278, the Principality of Achaea pawned it to the local Latin Archbishop, while the Pope leased it to the Venetians for five years in 1408. The Latin Archbishop remained in possession of the castle until 1430, when it was taken by the Despot of the Morea and future last Byzantine emperor, Constantine Palaiologos, who made extensive repairs to its walls.

Text adapted from “Patras Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Patras Castle ranks #2,767 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #46 of the 134 mapped in Greece. Founded 551, it is older than 96% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 34 atlas entries founded in the 6th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,819 times in the last 60 days, more than 64% of the atlas. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Patras, 1 km away. See how Greece compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗