ANDROUSA
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE SITE ARE CLICKABLE LINKS
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE SITE ARE CLICKABLE LINKS
Androusa is a Frankish castle in the village of Androusa in Messenia 21km from Kalamata.
Around the end of the 14th century, it was one of the most important castles in Peloponnese.
According to the Chronicle of Morea the castle of Androusa was constructed by the renowned Frankish ruler Guillame de Villehardoudin in the middle of the 13th century.
Documents which date from the period in the Principality of Achaia (1205 - 1428) mention Androusa as the seat of the military commander of the castellary of Kalamata.
By the end of the 14th century the castle served as a stronghold of the Navaresse Company in Messinia.
From 1417 Androusa remained under control of the Despots of Mystras for a few decades. Later it was conquered by the Ottomans, as was the rest of the Peloponnese.
During the next centuries Androusa became a bishopric and emerged as an important administrative centre in Ottoman held Messinia.
It was also the seat of an administrative district during the second period of Venetian rule (1685 - 1715). From the beginning of the 18th century the castle lay in ruins.
The ground plan of the curtain wall, only a small part of which survives today, is trapezoidal and generally follows the contours of the terrain. Its northern and eastern sections are better preserved. They are articulated with a series of blind arcades, on which rested the rampart-walk of the castle.
The arches of the arcades are pointed and some of them are embellished with elaborate decorative brickwork. The walls are reinforced at regular intervals with towers of various shapes. The huge tower rising on th southeastern corner probable served as a keep and it is the earliest defensive building of the castle.
The walls and towers were added in a later phase.
A large section of the eastern side probably dates back to the 14th century while the northern curtain wall and its towers seem to have been rebuilt during the 15th century.
This reconstuction took place in order to reinforce the castle with the innovative defensive techniques of that era that included gunpowder artillery as is indicated by the existence of small cannon embrasures in the northeast, north and southwest towers.
The project "Restoration of the eastern section of Androusa Castle walls", with a total budget of 550,000 euros was implemented by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Messinia via direct labour. The work commenced in April 2012 and was completed in October 2015.
The restoration project included excavations for the uncovering of the curtain walls and towers, reconstruction of ruined sections of masonry, grout injections and pointing.
Furthermore the walls and towers underwent waterproofing treatment and retaining walls have been built.
Additionally in the northeast tower, the floors, the cistern and the interior staircase were restored.
Finally a metal shelter covered with polycarbonate sheets was installed on the tower to ensure its protection.
