The castle
The Castle
of Mytilene, one of the
largest of its kind in the Mediterranean,
occupies the summit of a small hill in the north-eastern section of the
peninsula where the city is built. It is divided into the Upper, Middle and Lower Castle.
The first construction phase dates from the time of Justinian, and consists
largely of reused ancient materials. Remains from the Byzantine phase are
limited to a small gate on the north side of the wall, the east wall of the
central fortified enclosure and the cistern in the Middle Castle.
The castle
owes its basic ground plan to Francesco Gattilusio, a Genoese merchant who was
given the island
of Lesbos in 1355 as dowry
on marrying Maria Palaeologina, sister of Emperor John V Palaeologus. Gattulusio’s
first works project was to reconstruct and strengthen the castle, as is evident
from a Latin inscription above the west gate dated 1373. A powerful earthquake in
1384 caused significant damage to the castle. General restoration works were
carried out by the last Gattilusio in the second half of the 15th
century, when the castle was reinforced with ramparts, moats, battlements,
watchtowers and cannons. The Ottoman conquest of Mytilene in 1462 ushered in a
new building phase for the fortified enclosure, with extensive repairs and
modifications being made in the early 16th century. The external wall was
extended and the Lower
Castle added in the 17th
century, during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Khan.
The
castle walls are irregularly shaped and enclose an area of approximately 60 acres, on which abundant remains of
buildings from different periods are still to be found. In the Upper Castle
these include the gunpowder magazine and the ruins of a Turkish mosque, near
which there is a sarcophagus with the coats of arms of the Gatellusi and
Palaeologus families. The same part of the castle contains the famed Queen’s
Tower, consisting of five towers and a moat around a large courtyard and two
rooms, probably the official living quarters in the Byzantine castle. Access to
the Middle Castle is gained via the Orta Kapou Gate;
surviving buildings include the Mendreses (a 16th century seminary), the prison
complex, and the Byzantine period water tank.
Glossary (1)
cistern:
reservoir for collecting water. Usually rectangular in shape and roofed with arches.
Information Texts (1)
Justinian I:
Byzantine Emperor
(527-565), nephew and successor of Justin I. One of his first acts was to
reform the tax system and recode Theodosius’ laws. He was personally involved
in religious conflicts and convened the 5th Ecumenical Council
(553). Justinian considered himself primarily an orthodox emperor and took
harsh measures against the remaining pagans. Many of his political and fiscal
actions provoked strong reactions on the part of the senate and the factions
and led to the Nika Riots. Justinian instigated numerous building projects,
erecting approximately 30 churches in Constantinople,
including the famous church
of Agia Sophia.
Regarding foreign policy, he successfully confronted the Persians and the
Vandals in the East and focused on the recovery of the West. This he temporarily
achieved, but at such cost that the Empire was left exhausted; the barbarians in
the Balkans plundered the Greek peninsula as far as the Isthmus and barbarian
tribes settled at the borders. His military operations exhausted Byzantium financially and
militarily and had no real effect, as Italy and other areas he conquered
were soon lost again. After his death, the weakened empire had to face new
attacks, culminating in the Arab conquests, which negated the majority of
Justinian’s conquests beyond the borders.
Bibliography (8)
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3. Αχειλαρά, Λ., Το Κάστρο της Μυτιλήνης, Athens, 1999
4. Κάστρων Περίπλους – Castrorum Circumnavigatio, Athens, 2008
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8. Τζιμής Σ., Γιαννακάς Β. κ.α', Ιστορία της Λέσβου, Μυτιλήνη , 1996
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