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Latest Mistras hotel reviews
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"Oriokastro" castle is large and impressive, despite the fact that most of the battlements, towers and other buildings have been destroyed.
The fortified circuit walls were strengthened by tall towers (15th c.).
Updated Jun 9, 2003
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The castle on the top of the hill was founded in 1249 by a Frank leader. After 1262 it came under byzantine control, before falling to the Turks in 1460.
It was one of the first castles of Greece to be liberated in 1821.
Written Jun 9, 2003
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I was there in spring and tiredness could be forgotten by such images...
You see, Mistras is on a hill and the churches and other monuments have been built in different altitudes. You have to climb all the time!
Written Jun 9, 2003
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The important wall-paintings are executed in a variety of different styles, related to the different periods at which they were painted. It is the church where the last emperor of Byzantium, Konstantinos Palaiologos, was crowned king.
On the floor of the church is the two-headed eagle, the symbol of the imperium (and AEK, my favorite team!), carved into a plaque. According to the tradition, this is where he stepped when he was crowned king in 1449.
Written Jun 5, 2003
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You can have a break for a meal or any preparations (before or after the visit to the site) at the slopes of Mistras, where the modern village exists.
You can enter inside the dead state by two different entrances: one at the lower level and the other at the top of the hill, on the castle. I'd suggest you to choose the second entrance, near the castle, if you don't have a car...
At the picture, you see the statue of Konstantinos Palaiologos (at a... square of the modern village), the last emperor of Byzantium. He was crowned in Mistras, but he died in Constantinople at the fight on 29/5/1453, when the Turks captured the city - it was the end of the byzantine empire...
Written Jun 5, 2003
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The tour of the Byzantine city of Mystras begins at the top of the hill - with the castle.
From this vantage point you can overlook the whole of Mystras, and see the plains stretching towards Sparta on the horizon.
Updated Apr 19, 2003
Written Mar 1, 2009
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The church, near the palaces, was built in the middle of the 14th century. It is domed, cross-in-square, with a bell-tower.
Written Jun 9, 2003
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The building complex of the palaces of the despots (Kantakouzinoi and Palaiologoi) is L-shaped in plan.
This is a closer view of the top of the angular building.
Written Jun 9, 2003
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They were built on a small plateau on the hill. The large building complex is dominated by the throne-room (early 15th c.) and it contains buildings of different functions.
Written Jun 9, 2003
Reviews and photos of Mistras attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Mistras sightseeing.
They were built on a small plateau on the hill. The large building complex is dominated by the throne-room (early 15th c.) and it contains buildings of...
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Mistras, a mediaeval fortress-state, occupies a foothill on the slopes of Mountain Taygetos, 6 km NW of the ancient city of Sparta, in Peloponnese (about 250 km south of Athens). Houses, mansions,...
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The dead city of Mystras is located just 6 km on the West side of the town of Sparta. It was regional capital for almost 400 years until the fall of the Byzantine Empire. With inspiring churches and...
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One of Greece's Premiere Byzantine Attractions
Mistras is wonderful historical sight just outside of Sparta. Mistras is sort of a Byzantine ghost town that works its way up a large hill. The hill is crowned by a castle from which there are...
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Mistras, a byzantine ghost town
On top of Taigetos mountain, just 5 km from Sparta,stands Mistras, an old byzantine city spreading over a hill. It was the capital of Byzantine and Medieval Mystras. Was built by William II of...
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Mystras is a Byzantine city, situated on a hill close to the modern day city of Sparta. The city dates back to the mid-1200s, and reached its peak in the late 1600s when 42,000 people lived...
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