Argyrokastro Magoulianon

At an altitude of more than 1400 m, the castle is located about 800 m north-east of the village of Magouliana, on the eastern and higher of the two peaks of the mountain. It could control the routes running from east (Mantineia) to west (Dimitsana-Karytaina-Eleia), to the south on the road to Tripoli as far as Piana-Davia-Sylimna and to the north on the road to Kalavrita up to Valtesiniko-Kerpini-Kleitoria. The road to the south of the castle leads to the castle of Akova. The position of the castle is naturally fortified and hard to overlook. As for the security of its physical location, this could be compared to that of the neighboring castle of Bezeniko-Vlachernas.

There are no historical accounts on the founding of the castle. Nor have any of the studies come up with an exact time of its construction. We know, however, that was repaired by the Venetians. However, one can observe that the components of the castle are reminiscent of those of the late Byzantine castle of Mouchli and the Frankish ones of Passava and Tis Orias (Estella). Because there are no mentions in the historical sources of nearby settlements which it would have protected, perhaps the castle was built to monitor a larger area. It is likely to have been the residence of a Frankish feudal lord, a seat of one of the 24 fiefdoms that make up the Barony of Akova. Situated in the area of ​​the medieval Skorta, its role would have been to control these unruly residents and to curb their descents to the west, as far as Eleia, where lay the seat of the principality.

In 1320 the entire barony passed to the Byzantines, to Andronikos Palaeologus Asan; in whose hands it remained until 1460 when the Peloponnesus was conquered by the Ottomans, apart from a few castles. The Venetian lists referred to it as Argiro Castro vel Agnocastro (1463) and Arzirocastro (1467). In 1469 it is reported as damaged and in 1470 the Turks occupied it. In the 18th century, the castle is referred to either on maps or in the repairs carried out by the Venetians (1685-1715). The castle is mentioned in the title of the Archdiocese of Dimitsana and Argyrokastro during the Turkish occupation.

Χρονολόγηση: Late Byzantine or Frankish

The ruins of the castle are preserved on the plateau of the eastern peak of the mountain, to the north-east of Magouliana. The castle is of two parts, upper and lower. The Upper has a somewhat elliptical outline, with its main axis SSE-NNW. Its area is no more than 2.800 sqm (just over a quarter of a ha). The gate will presumably have been located on the south side where today’s path ascends. The north side of the fortified area is a natural drop of some 20 m: it may never have been given built defences. To the south of the modern church a natural cavity of the hill has been turned into a large double cistern (11 x 7 m, with a depth of 4.5 m). Just north of the church, piles of stone argue the existence of two buildings. The larger measured 7.4 x 4 m, the smaller 3 x 4 m: perhaps they correspond to a residence and a storeroom respectively. The central tower-keep of the castle probably is to be associated with remains south-east of the church (dimensions 5.20 x 2.5 m.): they are preserved to a height of 1 m, but their thickness (at 1m) probably indicates their significant height once; they are constructed from worked stones and lime-plaster and mortar. From this point to the north edge of the plateau stretch the walls of the Upper castle ward: they are half a m thick and also built from lime-plaster/mortar and rough-hewn stones.

At the north-east edge of the plateau, the natural slope leads one down (by some 30 m) to the Lower castle: here are preserved traces of other walls and another cistern. Even lower down survive the remnants of two semicircular towers, made of stone and mortar. The presence of these towers can be explained by the vulnerability of the fortification here. The defensive works are focused on the eastern front, where worthy of mention are the ruins of another tower, square in plan (4 x 4.20 m), which is preserved to a height of 5 m. Its 1-m thick walls are carefully worked with dressed masonry stones and lime plaster/mortar.

 No studies or restorations have been carried out. N. 3028/2002

A.I. Ballas (1995), Τα μεσαιωνικά κάστρα του Μαινάλου, Πελοποννησιακά ΚΑ΄, 129-192, especially 130-147.