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Bezeniko

Bezeniko

LOCATION: Arcadia

Bezeniko

  • Position

    At the end of the plain of Dara, on the Tripoli-Pyrgos road. The castle is built on a large rock above the village of Vlacherna, on northern flank of Mainalo. It controlled the communications-node of Mantineia-Elis-Achaea. It was in visual contact only with the fortification on the summit of Mytika.

     

  • History

    The sources do not speak of the foundation of the castle of Bezeniko (in the medieval period - Pazeniki). The first reference dates to the 14th century, when the region was in the hands of the Byzantines. Further, as the construction does not recall that of a Frankish castle, the foundation should more likely belong to the Late Byzantine period, after 1320. Due to the effectiveness of its naturally fortified position, Mehmed II, The Conqueror, did not persist in his siege of the castle in 1460, but went off to Tegea. In 1463, it appears in the list of castles under Venetian domination, but by 1467 is in the hands of the Ottomans. No other reports of it exist. (Names assigned to castle: Pazeniki, Bessenico, Posernicon).

     

    Χρονολόγηση: σταυροφορική / υστεροβυζαντινή περίοδος (13ος – 15ος αι.)

  • Description

    The castle extends over two levels, adjacent to each other. The southern is larger in size and faces the steepest part of the hill, while the north one is somewhat more level. The north area is approximately 6,500 sqm; about a quarter of its periphery shows some evidence of fortification, elsewhere the natural rock forms a cliff. The south component, with an area of ​​around 12.500 sqm, is bordered by one of the mountain flanks, but is also the most vulnerable side of the castle. The gate is made of dressed stones; it has a tower. This last is preserved to a height of 2 m, and measures in plan about 3 x 4 m, with a wall thickness of around 1 m. Flanking the gate are traces of walls: the best preserved is the eastern part, where lies the side most susceptible to attack. On the south-east side is preserved a trapezoidal tower (5, 7, 6 and 9 m, for its four wall-lengths), in height 5 m and with a wall thickness of 1.2 m. Traces of walls continue to follow the brow of the cliff to the north-west, where they encounter the fortifications of the upper castle. Traces of this wall survive to a length of about 40 m.

        Among the structures inside the walls on the eastern side are located the remains of two buildings and a cistern. The dense vegetation perhaps hides other building remnants.

    The upper castle’s extent is almost identical to the perimeter of the natural citadel. Traces of walls are preserved at the south-east front on a NE-SW line. The gate was located at the south-west tip of the upper line of fortification, but all that survives is the remains of a tower with a cistern in its basement. Its height today is over 5 m. Two other towers are preserved at the south-west of the upper castle along with another gate.

    From the buildings inside the walls, near the gate are traces of a smaller cistern. Two more buildings are located to the east.

     

  • The castle today

    Ν. 3028/2002.

  • References

    A.I. Ballas (1995), Τα μεσαιωνικά κάστρα του Μαινάλου, Πελοποννησιακά ΚΑ΄, 129-192, especially 151-161.

     

Map

map

General Information

Type city fortification
Construction date σταυροφορική / υστεροβυζαντινή περίοδος (13ος – 15ος αι.)
Coordinates Longitude: 37.7156617856 Β, Longitude: 22.2551236595 Α
P.E. Arcadia
Municipality Tripoli

Castle Access

  • The castle can be reached by the road leading to the Vlacherna monastery. A little before reaching the monastery, there is a cave-chapel, now abandoned. From there begins the uphill path leading to the gate of the castle.