Ruins of a castle atop a low hill close to the village Strefi in Messinia above the little river Velikas.

The Name of the Castle

The local name of the castle is Ntempriz, borrowed from a nearby (1000m to the north) well-preserved Venetian bridge with the same name. This is a non-Greek name that we prefer to write “Debridge” since it is obviously related to the bridge.

History

The castle is Frankish. We can be sure about this because of its name and because we know that the territory was Franksih until the 15th century. The border with the Venetian territory of Avramio was a little to the south.

The mediaval name of the castle was probably Molines, built in the late 13th century. It could be also the Castemu castle built in 1402 near the vilage Chastemi (modern Lefkochora).

Whatever the initial name, the territory passed under Venetian control in 1423 and remained so perhaps until 1467 or, the latest, 1500, when the Turks captured Koron and the First Venetian period in Peloponnesse ended.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The castle occupies the top of a wooded hill above the south bank of the river Velikas, in the area of ​​Koufologia west of the village Strefi. There is a path that starts from the northwest side of the hill (see photo below). Despite the path, access to the top is difficult due to dense vegetation.

The outline of the castle is not clear due to the vegetation. It seems that it occupied an area of ​​about 3,500 sq.m. At the top, the central tower is preserved at some height, and is visible from a distance. Around the tower there are many unspecified stone piles and ruins. Just before we reach the tower, there are the visible ruins of a wall that seems to be the remains of a building.

To the west of the tower there are traces of illegal excavations that should not be too old. Apparently someone was looking here for treasures. At the bottom of the hole seems that a small tunnel starts. This may be related to the legend that there is a secret tunnel under the castle that exits down in the river opposite the church of Panagitsa.

Sources