Fortified/Tower House
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/01/01/14/129 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mystras |
| Dates | May-July 1909? |
| Donor/Creator |
George, Mr Walter Sykes |
| Scope and Content | Plans of the two storeys, South-east Elevation of the tower. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras House no 3 Called 'Mamora' Probably because of a Roman Sarcophagus at the Base of Tower'. It is labelled in pencil: 'Upper Storey', 'S.E. Elevation', 'Lower Storey'. It is signed in pencil (W. George) in the lower right-hand corner. |
| Further information | Mistras, one of the most important medieval cities of Morea, lies four miles north-west of present-day Sparta on the summit of a Taygetos hill. The first building to be erected by William II Villehardouin, the Frankish prince of Achaea, in the location was the castle (1249). Soon, a settlement was established outside the citadel- outside which most of the churches and chapels stand. After the recapture of Morea by the Byzantines in 1262, Mistras became the headquarters of the Byzantine general and, later, the seat of the Lakedaimonian bishopic. During the 14th c. it was the capital of the Despotate of Mistras and flourished under the Kantakouzenoi and the Palaiologoi reign until its fall to the Turks in 1460. Fortified/Tower House ‘J’ is located to the south of the Metropolis circuit wall at the so-called Marmara settlement (the settlement was named after the various ancient marble spolia which were found in situ). A fountain is built into its flank. Sophisticated brickwork decorates the front side while at the top are eight stone brackets which once supported a balcony. In strong contrast to typical Mistras houses, the windows are impressively small. Tall interior buttresses strengthen the interior walls even further. |