Text and research by Nikos Aivalis, photo report by Elpida Zografidou, technical support by Paraskevas Aivalis, translation by Eva Trombetas
How many tales have we heard of since we were children, about mythical castles, brave warriors and beautiful princesses? In Arcadia, in the Byzantine castle city of Mouchli, those images come to life, and we’ll go there to get to know one of the most important castle cities of the Peloponnese.
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| the hill Mouchli where the castle city is located |
The hill of Mouchli, from where the Byzantine castle also took its name, is located in historical Arcadia, specifically in Achladokambos, near the village of Partheni at the foothills of mount Parthenio, on the road from Tripoli to Argos. The name Mouchli is related to Nykli in Tegea, while the prevailing opinion is that both names, Mouchli - Nykli, may have their roots in the ancient city of Amyklae of Laconia, because some inhabitants and lords of Nykli were coming originally from Amykles, close to Sparta.
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the area around Mouchli
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As soon as you reach the place, you are welcomed by a small church, that of Panagia Mouchliotissa. A beautiful church, with its door open for all the visitors where they can admire a beautiful collection of icons, as well as candles. The small church is a donation from the inhabitants of the village Agiorgitika.
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Panagia Mouchliotissa
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We were clearly impressed by how neat the place inside was, while we were looking around at the icons, which in combination with the lighted candles gave a warmth to our hearts.
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| Iconostasis (icon stand) inside the church |
Outside the chapel, to the left of the entrance, there is a marble plaque that indicates this place’s history, which we will talk about later.
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history of Mouchli
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To the left and right of the chapel, there are places where someone can rest, with a table, seats and canopy, overlooking the hill of Mouchli, everything you need to start and finish your research with in this historic place.
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a place to rest
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The castle and the town of Mouchli were built around 1295 AD by Andronikos Asan, a relative of the Palaiologos family, to settle the population of Nykli after its fall, during the war between the Frankish Principality of Achaia and the Byzantine Empire, with the Byzantines as winners. The city was built on three levels, while materials from Nykli and ancient Tegea were used. The castle controlled the road to Mystras, while there was a powerful force that helped the Byzantines in their struggle for the dissolution of the Principality of Achaia. In the 14th century, Mouchli had considerable autonomy, while it flourished in the arts and letters, with its best well-known representative being the painter Digenis.
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Mouchli
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In 1460, the castle was besieged by Mehmed II, and surrendered to the Ottomans due to lack of men and after agreement with the city governor, Demetrios Asanis. Mehmed set fire, burned and completely destroyed this magnificent castle city, leaving no stone unturned, as a result leaving it being desolate forever.
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| remains of the castle |
The remains of the castle are indistinguishable between the rocks, nothing left is reminiscent of the glorious years of the place. Only in the field of imagination spmeone can paint in mind the castle city that once existed here. At the top of the hill was the acropolis, around there was a fortification with walls and towers, while around the hill there were many buildings, temples and houses. The most clearly visible remains are that of the metropolitan church of Panagia of Mouchli, in the middle of the west side of the hill. The church was built in 1280 AD and it is said that the inhabitants of Mouchli carried an icon of the Virgin Mary to Constantinople, building the church of the Panagia Mouchliotissa in Fener.
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| church remains of Panagia of Mouchli |
That was our trip to the historical Mouchli, in the Byzantine fortress, a fantastic place where you will travel in time. Finally, unfortunately we must stress a quite bad point. We need to report and denounce a very ugly image we came across, and we will keep a tough attitude as tough was the image that we saw. Behind the chapel of Panagia Mouchliotissa, there is a small garbage dump. Broken glasses, bottles, plastic waste, anything someone can imagine. In such a historical place, legacy of our ancestors for our children, this can be characterised only as the greatest shame for everyone. Maybe some passersby aren't aware of the garbage holders and how to use them, here as En Astron we will provide you with instructions for use: every time we visit a place, whether it's historical or not, we eat and drink, and as we're about to leave we collect our garbage, cigarettes, etc and throw them in the garbage. If there isn't one garbage near you, we collect them in a bag, take it with us and throw it in the first garbage can that we find. It's a shame in 2020 for people behaving in such a dirty way, outdoor areas don't belong to anyone, it is a public place and you ought to leave it behind you, the way you found it, for the next person. We hope at some point this shame will stop - of easily throwing our garbage anywhere -, and we hope that the competent body will pass through there soon and clean up the place, so that everyone can enjoy not only the area of the castle city, but also the natural beauty of the place.
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broken glasses, bottles, rims and whatever someone
can imagine, have been thrown outside of the castle |
