Holy Monastery of Skafidias

The Holy Monastery of Skafidias stands near the west coast of the Peloponnese, about 18 kilometres from Pyrgos, and is unusual in combining a working nunnery with a genuine fortress. The monastery itself was certainly founded around 1100 AD, but its defensive tower, set at the centre of the west wing, is far harder to date. Its western architectural character suggests either the Frankish period of the 13th to 15th centuries or the later Venetian occupation between 1685 and 1715, though centuries of serious renovation have blurred the evidence. The tower rises two storeys high and is distinguished by four cylindrical bastions, a design unlike any other fortification in Greece. Originally it had very few openings, and its entrance sat above ground level, reached only by a movable wooden bridge linking it to the rest of the complex. Today the building survives in good condition, a curious hybrid of piety and defence.