Mendenitsa, Kamena Vourla, Phthiotis,Central Greece
Castle of Mendenitsa
or Bodonitsa Castle
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View from the west entrance of the village
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Telephoto from the north slopes of Kallidromo
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View from the east entrance of the village
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View from the south
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photo: Andrew Sawyer, from the NE foots of the hill
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Interior of the castle
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photo: Andrew Sawyer
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Telephoto from the south
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THE END
| Location: |
| Mendenitsa, Fthiotida, Central Greece |
| Region > Prefecture: |  |
| Central Greece Phthiotis | |
| Municipality > Town: | |
| City of Kamena Vourla • Mendenitsa | |
| Altitude: | |
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Elevation ≈ 550 m (Relative Height≈40 m) |
| Time of Construction | Origin | |
| 1204 | FRANKISH  |
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| Castle Type | Condition | |
| Castle |
Average
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A Frankish castle in the village of Mendenitsa at the north slopes of mountain Kallidromon, right above the passage of Thermopylae.
History
The castle was built in 1204 by the Lombard knight Guido Pallavicini who had become marquess of Bodonitsa under the “king of Thessalonica” Boniface of Montferrat after the fall of Constantinople in 1204, at the beginning of the Frankish occupation of Greece.
Later, after the downfal of the kingdom of Thessalonica in 1224, Mendenitsa became somehow autonomous, though a vassal of the Principality of Achaea.
The state survived when in 1311 the Catalans became rulers of the Duchy of Athens. In 1335 the Venetian Niccolo I Zorzi became the lord of Mendenitsa after his marriage with the last descendant of the Pallavicini family, Guglielma, known as “The Lady of Thermopylae”.
The Ottomans captured the castle in 20th June 1414. The last marquis Niccolo II Zorzi fled to Venice.
Under Turkish rule, Mendenitsa gradually declined as it lost its strategic value after the prevalence of the Ottomans all over Greece.
The castle was taken by the Greeks in the first months of the Greek Revolution in 1821.
| First entry in Kastrologos: | August 2012 | Last addition of photo/video: | July 2017 |
Sources
- Website ΟΔΥΣΣΕΥΣ - Greek Ministry of Culture- Κάστρο Μενδενίτσας
- Andrew Sawyer’s website 'castles of Greece'- Boudonitsa ('Mendenitsa'; 'Vriokastro'; 'Modonuη')
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| Access |
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| Approach to the monument: |
| The castle is in the village of Mendenitsa, 14km from the National Road Athens-Thessaloniki (exit Thermopylae). |
| Entrance: |
| The entrance is free. You walk there from the village. However due to growth and the local fences, the entrance is not easy and possibly dangerous (June 2021) |
| Timeline |
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| Other castles around |
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| Acropolis of Achinos |
| Tower of Amfikleia |
| Castle of Lamia |
| Tower of Lilaia |
| Tower of Madamia |
| Tower of Parorio |
| Fortification of Strongyli |
| Monastery of Profitis Elias |