Castle of Glarentzas

The Castle of Glarentza, or rather the scant ruins of it, stands near modern Kyllini at the western tip of the Peloponnese. Founded in the mid-13th century by William II of Villehardouin, it served as the port for the Frankish Principality of Achaea, linking its inland capital at Andravida with Italy. For nearly a century, the town’s mint struck tornese coins marked “DE CLARENCIA”. Its decline mirrored that of the Principality itself. Seized by Leonardo II Tocco in 1407, it was regained in 1414, then changed hands repeatedly through the 1420s, ending as a dowry for Constantine Palaiologos, who dismantled its fortifications in 1429 to deny it to western powers. Ottoman raids in 1446 and conquest in 1460 finished the job. Today, little survives: traces of a lightly built wall with rectangular towers, a silted harbour, and a large church, some 43 by 15 metres, possibly Franciscan. The German Army demolished much of what remained during the Second World War.

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