The Castle of Kalavryta

The Castle of Kalavryta, also known as the Castle of Oria, was built after 1208, during the Frankish Rule (Frankokratia), by the first Baron of Kalavryta, Othon de Tournay. Later, the Barony of Kalavryta passed into the hands of the Frankish lords of Chalandritsa, the de la Tremouille family, who built a smaller castle in the 14th century across from the main one, on the Prioni Mountain. This smaller fortification became known as the "Castle of Tremoula." In 1263, the castle came under Byzantine control, and in 1400, it was handed over to the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes by the Despot of the Morea, Theodore Palaiologos. However, in 1404, it returned to Byzantine hands. When Mohammed II (The Conqueror) invaded the Peloponnese between 1458-1460, the defenders of the castle put up a strong resistance, but after a prolonged siege by the Ottomans, they were forced to surrender. The castle remained under Ottoman rule from 1460 until 1821, with intermittent Venetian occupations before 1715. The castle’s interior area was around twenty hectares and contained approximately fifty houses, the ruins of which are still visible today. There were also houses located outside the castle. The inner walls of the castle were 1 meter thick and made of lime-stone, and in many places, they were several meters high. The outer walls show traces of defensive battlements. Additionally, there are water cisterns and two notable half-collapsed towers. Pictured: View of Kalavryta with a view of the Castle of Oria, 1915. ©Municipal Museum of the Kalavryta Holocaust.