Methoni - Facts

Also known as: Modon (Ital.), Methoni Castle
Location: Methoni, Messenia (Peloponnese), Greece — seaside headland at the SW tip of the Morea
Region tag: Messenian Gulf / Morea
Type: Coastal fortified town and harbor gateway
Status/Condition: Substantial enceinte and gatehouse survive; interiors partly ruinous; sea-tower (Bourtzi) preserved
Access: Open to visitors (conditions vary by season)

Control timeline (concise)

• Byzantine nucleus: medieval fortification on the headland (pre-13th c.).
• First Venetian phase: 13th–15th c. — harbor fortifications and town walling developed.
• Ottoman capture: 1500 (Second Ottoman–Venetian War) → long Ottoman holding through the 16th–17th c.
• Venetian reoccupation: 1686–1715 (Morean War period) — repairs and upgrades.
• Ottoman return: 1715–1828 — garrisoned until the Morea Expedition/Greek War of Independence.
• 19th c. onwards: French/Greek control; conservation and civilian use.

Architecture (at a glance)

• Plan & setting: Walled town on a low coastal promontory with landward ditches; seaward faces on rocky shore.
• Curtain & towers: Mixed medieval and early-modern masonry; semi-circular and polygonal bastions added/reshaped over successive phases.
• Main gate: Landmark arched gatehouse on the landward side; causeway/bridge over defensive ditch (later stone bridge replacing earlier draw solutions).
• Harbor work: Small islet Bourtzi linked by a causeway; sea-battery/tower controlling anchorage and approaches.
• Fabric: Local limestone ashlar and rubble; brick relieving arches and patchwork repair bands visible from different periods.
• Inscriptions & marks: Latin and Ottoman inscriptions survive in situ; reused spolia common in curtain repairs.
• Reading the walls: Bonding changes, blocked embrasures, and re-cut parapets mark successive Venetian/Ottoman repair lines.
• Town–harbor system: The fortress functioned with the anchorage and mole; convoy logistics, water and provisions were the strategic drivers.
• Construction Year: c. 13th–16th (major Venetian works); significant Ottoman phases: 1500–1686, 1715–1828.
• Area (sqm): —
• Tower/Bastion Count: Multiple; varies by phase
• Condition: Standing enceinte; gatehouse and sea-tower preserved; interiors partly ruinous.
• Characteristics: Coastal gateway; convoy stop; mixed Venetian–Ottoman masonry; Bourtzi sea battery.
• Location: Headland at Methoni town, Messenia; sea-level coastal site.