Bonriparo Fort

On a hill called Kastellos, sixteen kilometres southwest of Rethymno near the village of Monopari, stands the remnant of a fortress with a turbulent early life. Originally built in 1185 during the second Byzantine period as the Tower of Melissinos, it was taken over in 1206 by the Genoese pirate Enrico Pescatore, who rebuilt it as one of fifteen Genoese castles on Crete. He named it Bonriparo, meaning stronghold, though locals soon called it Monopari. Pescatore’s occupation ended in 1211, when the Venetians paid him to leave. The castle later became the flashpoint for the revolt of the two Syvritos provinces, sparked when its Venetian commander, Pietro Filicanevo, stole livestock from the Skordilis family; the ensuing rebellion ran from 1217 to 1236. Its defences consisted of a long wall on the northern side only, the other approaches being naturally impassable. Today the condition is rather poor, with little beyond the wall’s traces surviving.

Heritage data from Wikidata, compiled and verified in the Atika atlas.