Peloponnese: Mystras.

This was NOT Sparta. . . 

However, it was a Byzantine/Middle Age castle atop a mountain that OVERLOOKED Sparta. . . And we had to drive through Sparta to get there. 

This site is special for a number of reasons.

For one, It is one of the few castles that date from the Middle Ages, that was built in Greece. There was this awkward time when the west tried to take Greece over blah blah. Bottom line, it didn't stick, but there is defiantly some influence there. Its significant because it is a living fusion of Ancient Byzantine conceptual structure as well as Middle Aged styles. 

Mystras is also just about the only Byzantine structure that still stands and was/is not just a church.

Mystras had three monasteries on this mountain top during its prime. It had a max of 20000 people at once, living in this city in the mountains. If you put this in perspective in Ancient times, living in a city of 20000 on a mountain top is not an easy life.

Despite the location, Mystras became a center for Byzantine. The Emperor to be went there to study and prepare  for the throne. And it became a thriving city of thinkers and students. 

Today, you can visit the 3 churches on site. There is a Nunary there still today, however we didn't get a chance to meet or talk with any of them. One church is very clearly in use still, Original fresco's still in tact. It was beautiful and ornate as all Greek Orthodox churches are. 

Another church was empty save its fresco's. Its in the process of being restored little by little. The last church combines two period style of church. It is structured off of the side of a cliff and resides next to the old monastery, which now stands in ruins. You can explore these grounds a little, visit old storage rooms and see where the nuns of the time slept. 

We hiked all the way to the top of the Castle and looked over the valley all around. It was beautiful, as most places in Greece are. Then, we hiked down to the very bottom, exploring the connection between the past and the present as we went along. There are building that are being restored. There are unearthed foundations of old buildings. The wild gardens are still maintained today by the nuns who still stay there.

It was a beautiful example of how the Ancient City looked and operated and a very interesting opportunity to see how it became what it is today.

For more pictures, Click here!!

The password is "Mystras"