Few remains of a small castle atop the hill overlooking the monastery of Osios Loukas at Boeotia. (The monastery is included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.)

This was an ancient fortification which was used also with some additions in the Middle Ages. The most visible element of the fort is a ruined building which seems to have been a medieval tower (either Byzantine or Frankish).

History

The history of the castle is not known. The wall structure reveals at least two construction phases: one from the ancient period with big well shaped stones and one medieval using smaller stones with mortar.

In the classical period, this area belonged to the city of Steiris, the acropolis of which was on an other hill, around 1km to the southeast.

The city was destroyed by the Macedonians in 346BC and by the Romans in 147BC. It is possible after the last destruction or during the turbulent following centuries, the population to have moved to the hill of this castle that offered better protection. In fact even in the location where the monastery was later built, there was a fortification in the early byzantine period .

The monastery was founded in the 10th century and developed rapidly in the 11th century sponsored by Byzantine emperors. During the Frankish occupation (the Frangokratia) it was manned by Latin monks.

The most probable chronology for the construction of the medieval tower (?) is the 11th century during the finest period of the monastery.
Or, it was built, later by Franks or Catalans some time between the 13th and the 15th centuries. This is less likely because the location and the type of construction are not very similar to the numerous Frankish towers that are preserved in Central Greece.

Sources