Skala Eresou, Dytiki Lesbos, Lesbos,North Aegean
Vigla of Eresos
| Location: |
| On a hill SE of Skala Eresou in Lesbos island |
| Region > Prefecture: |  |
| North Aegean Lesbos | |
| Municipality > Town: | |
| City of Dytiki Lesbos • Skala Eresou | |
| Altitude: | |
| Elevation ≈ 45 m |
| Time of Construction | Origin | |
| 14th century | Late-BYZANTINE  |
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| Castle Type | Condition | |
| Coastal Fortress |
Not Good
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History
Vigla of Eresos is the location of the ancient acropolis of Eresos near the beach and south-east of the modern town of Skala Eresou.
In antiquity, since the time of the Trojan war, Eresos was a rich town. It remained prosperous in the Middle Ages too.
In the beginning of the 14th century the Byzantines built a new castle over the ancient fortification. After 1355 it became a possession of the Gateluzzi who ruled the island until 1462 when the Ottomans took Lesvos.
After the Ottoman conquest the castle was not used anymore and the town gradually declined.
Structure, Fortification & Buildings
Only a few ruins remain today: a cylindrical tower (Byzantine or Genoan), a rectangular tower (rather Turkish) and a water-tank. The two towers are quite different and obviously built in different periods. The cylindrical tower which is the oldest of the two, is built mostly with fragments from the ancient fortification.
The water-tank is probably from the Roman period but it is in relatively good condition.
| First entry in Kastrologos: | November 2012 |
Sources
- Website ΟΔΥΣΣΕΥΣ - Greek Ministry of Culture Οχυρό-Βίγλα Ερεσού (Greek only)
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| Access |
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| Approach to the monument: |
| - |
| Entrance: |
| ? |
| Other castles around |
|---|
| Ovriokastro |
| Tower of Parakoila |
| Sigri Castle |
| Chalandrokastro |
