Traveling to Monemvasia
Monemvasia was a destination that I definitely wanted to visit for my fellowship research. Thus, with my friend Hélène we decided to go to the Gibraltar of the East for a weekend trip. The medieval city is situated on the third leg of the Peloponnese on an island that has natural narrow causeway and a 130-meter bridge that connects the island to the mainland. The causeway gave the town its name “moni emvasia” which means “only access”.With Hélène we preferred to go to Monemvasia on a Friday morning by bus. However, because of some misunderstandings we missed our morning bus, and we had to change our tickets to an evening bus. We arrived to Monemvasia around 11pm and when we arrived the west entrance of the castle town, I had the feeling that time stopped once you walked through the walls. Well, I was not mistaken.
The town reminded us to a labyrinth with its traditional stone houses and slippery narrow roads lightened with dim lights. That night we quickly visited the central square Elkomenos Christos square and then went to Panagia Chrysafitissa square. Similar to the other squares, this one was also named after the Church Panagia Chrysafitissa that stood in the middle. Certain stones in the square had the verses of the poem of Yiannis Ritsos who was born in Monemvasia and who referred to his hometown the “stone ship”. At the end of a long journey, we were mesmerized to found ourselves in such a breathtaking Medieval town.
http://www.kastra.eu/castleen.php?kastro=monemvasia
The History of the Gibraltar of the East
Archeological evidences show that the first settlement in the region dated from 8000 years ago. The Proto-Helladic settlement was found on the eastern coast of the region of Epidaurus Limera (not the Epidaurus on the Argolid Peninsula!). In 375 AD a powerful earthquake led to the cutting off of the promontory from the mainland, as a result the rocky island of Monemvasia was formed. Recent accounts indicate that the first settlement on the cliff of the islands known as Goulas or the Upper Town was found in 582/583 AD under the Emperor Maurice. The town became a pivotal center only after 8th century onward.The fortifications of the town were completed under the Byzantine rule and the advantageous geographic location of the town made the town an ideal base for military operation. There were two main geographic advantages of the city: the cliffs of the island provided security for the inhabitants and the two bays on both side of island provided natural harbors for ships that led to the growth of the maritime population. Soon the town became a religious center and it was declared to be an administrative center for the imperial lands in the Peloponnese. As a result of the rapid development in the 10th century the Lower Town was established on the southeastern side of the rock.
From 1246 until 1263 the fortified town was occupied by the Crusaders. In 1263, the Byzantine Empire took back Monemvasia, which the Second Byzantine period between 1263-1460 is considered as the Golden Age of Monemvasia. During this period the inhabitants rose to 8000 and over 40 churches were built. With the increase of the population the town, the public spaces of the town started to decrease and the roads got narrower. In 1460, the city established alliances with the Western forces to prevent the Turkish attacks. The first alliance was made with the Catalonian mercenary troops, then with the Pope and finally with the Venetians. From 1464 until 1540 the town was ruled by the Venetians. The acquisition of Monemvasia was important for the Venetians, because the strategic location of the town established the link between their dependencies to the east and north. Therefore, the Venetians referred to Monemvasia as “Napoli di Malvasia”. Even though, the Venetians gradually lost their power, the Venetians architectural influence is still dominant in many buildings. After over 40 years of resistance, in 1540, the town surrendered to the Ottomans but kept its privileges. Under the Ottoman rule, the fortress was referred as “Meneksche” that meant, the “violet city” alluding to the colour of the cliffs in the late-afternoon when the sun is setting. During the Ottoman rule, the town continued to keep its strategic importance.
From 1690 until 1715 the fortress was once more occupied by the Venetians. After the reconquest of Morea by the Venetians, Monemvasia became the seat of the Venetian provincial government of Laconia. Hence, numerous officials resided there. During the first period of the Ottoman rule, Monemvasia’s main commercial interchange was with Alexandria in Egypt. Under the Venetian rule, the town’s commercial interchange started to be more with the harbours in the west. In 1715 the town was reconquered by the Turks and stayed under the Ottoman rule until 1821. During the second Ottoman rule the town lost its political significance and the population of the town started to decrease. Regardless of its political decline, during the Greek War of Independence, Monemvasia had a symbolic importance as it is known as the “sacred rock” of the Byzantine Empire. Hence, it was the first fortifications that the Ottoman army surrendered. Today, the population is mostly located in the modern town of Monemvasia and the old town is a well preserved historic centre that attracts local and international tourists.
The Upper Town
The Upper Town was built on the plateau situated at the top of the rock. The Upper Town is naturally fortified and it is inaccessible by land. During the Byzantine period, the Upper Town was the town's administrative and military center where the ruling class resided. In the first Venetian rule the town was partially abandoned. During the second Ottoman rule, the Upper Town was used only by the Turkish officials and dignitaries. After the establishment of the Modern Greek state, under the government of Kapodistrias (1827-1831) some of the buildings were repaired to serve as prison and as garrison's quarters. Today, the Upper Town is entirely abandoned and only open for visitors. This picture was taken from the walls of the Upper Town. On the left side of the picture we see the central gate of the Upper Town that is accessed via a fortified zigzag path.
Hagia Sophia (Panagia Hodegetria)
One of the main monuments of the Lower Town is Hagia Sophia, a replica of Constantinople's Hagia Sophia. The church was built in 12th century. During the Byzantine Period the interior of the church was decorated with wall paintings, which some of them still survives today. The church was used according to the belief of each ruler. During the first Venetian rule, the monuments functioned as a Catholic church. In the second period of the Venetian rule, the church was enlarged and it was used as a monastery.Under the first and second Ottoman rule, it was converted into a mosque known as "Fethiye" (conquest) mosque or the mosque of "Sultan Suleiman". After 1821, the church was returned back to its original function and used as an Orthodox sacred place.
The Lower Town
The Lower Town was built in 10th century and it became the town's trading center. The population of Monemvasia lived in the lower town and the ruins of buildings located on the southwestern side of the rock indicated that the Lower Town extended beyond the fortification's confine.
Travelers' Views
The engraving called "Maluasia" was made by the Flemish artist Jacob Peeters (1637-1695). He published various maps and engravings. His engravings were based on drawings of his brother Johannes Petters (1625-1677). However, there is no information about Johannes Peeters's travels to Greece. The originality of the Jacob Peeters’s engravings is the information that he provides about the monuments. The engraving that dates from 1690 shows the state of the bridge and it also depicts the full structure of the fortification in the 17th century.
http://eng.travelogues.gr/item.php?view=51480
The following engraving that is called “Monemvasia from the north and the east” was made by the Italian cartographer Vincenzo Coronolli in 1688. The first scenery depicts Monemvasia from the north where the viewer sees the acropolis or the upper fortification and the settlements in the upper town. The second scenery depicts the connection between the mainland and the island and the bridge better shown compared to Peeters’ engraving. However, it is important to know that this scenery can only be viewed from the sea. A traveler standing on the coast of the mainland can only see the rocky island but not the settlements.
http://eng.travelogues.gr/item.php?view=48692
This drawing is made by the Austrian officer and author Amand Schweiger Lerchenfeld in 1887. His drawings are from his journey to Greece in 1875. It portrays the view of the rocky island from the modern town of Monemvasia. Today, at the spot that Lerchenfeld draw his painting, there is a coffeehouse where you can enjoy your frappe while admiring the view of the island. As the old town is situated on the other side of the island, from the coast the viewer can only see the structure on the acropolis.
http://eng.travelogues.gr/item.php?view=39707
