Monemvasia

Monemvasia is a fortified town built on a large rock just off the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese. A narrow causeway joins it to the mainland; its name is traditionally understood as “single entrance.” The settlement began in the early sixth century, when people from Laconia sought refuge on the rock during raids. Its steep sides and restricted approach offered protection, and over time the town grew into a major Byzantine political and commercial centre.

Within the walls, streets, houses, and churches occupy the lower town, while the upper town holds the remains of larger fortifications and the church of Agia Sophia. Monemvasia changed hands among Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, and Ottomans. It was the last Byzantine stronghold in the Peloponnese to fall to the Ottomans in 1463, and it became one of the first fortresses in the region liberated during the Greek War of Independence in 1821.