Agionori castle

If you are looking for somewhere that is “far from the madding crowd” the ruined Agionori castle might make for an interesting stop. The Late Byzantine castle is on a hilltop on the border between Argolis and Corinthia, so as well as a glimpse into the area’s varied history you will also be able to enjoy an impressive panoramic view.

If you are looking for somewhere that is “far from the madding crowd” the ruined Agionori castle might make for an interesting stop. The Late Byzantine castle is on a hilltop on the border between Argolis and Corinthia, so as well as a glimpse into the area’s varied history you will also be able to enjoy an impressive panoramic view. It was built by the Franks between 1377 and 1450, and the village of Agionori grew up beside it.

Today the castle is far from complete, but the entrance, part of the walls and two three-story towers are still standing so, with a little imagination, you can picture how it was in its prime when it boasted 5 towers of varying dimensions. The castle was built using rectangular stones and strong lime mortar, and as it is 680m above sea level anyone in it could see Acrocorintho, Larisa Castle in Argos and Armenocastro in Kapareli, Argolis.

Another interesting snippet is that Agionori Castle is in the middle of the "Kontoporia", the ancient road that connected Corinthia with Argos by the shortest route (or kondoporia in Greek). It was used by many famous people such as the historian Xenophon and by Agesilaus with his Spartan warriors.

Agionori is also connected with one of the most famous battles in the Greek War of Independence. It was here that the army under the command of the Turkish military leader Dramali was attacked by about 1,000 Greeks and defeated on the second day of the battle of Dervenakia.

Finally, history also explains the castle’s name (Agios means Saint) as it is believed that monks from Mount Athos settled in the area during the 11th century. This also explains the large number of churches around the castle, two of which Agios Anargyros, and Agios Athanasios, have been restored.
 

Location

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