Mount Escouve (Gr. Μουντ Εσκουβέ) was a castle south of Athikia in Corinth area, on a rocky, arid hill. The only remarkable fact about this completely ruined Frankish castle is that it is mentioned with a certain emphasis in the medieval Chronicle of the Morea.

History

It is not certain that this castle is the “Mount Eskouve” of the Chronicle, for which some believe, it was actually the castle of Penteskoufi .

The castle was built in the first years after the arrival of the Franks in Peloponnese, by the Frankish ruler of the Duchy of Athens Otto De La Roche. Its purpose was to tight the siege of the castle of Acrocorinth which was defended by the last Byzantine Lord, Leon Sgouros. That means that it must have been built around 1206 to 1208.

It looks like the castle was not used for a long time after the fall of Acrocorinth (1209).

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The hill is protected by a wall, the perimeter of which is 200m. On the upper part of the hill there is something like an acropolis which is protected by a secondary wall, more ruined.

The walls today reach a height of 1m to 2m. The thickness of the walls is max 2.40m.

The “technology” of the construction is similar to other castles built by Otto de la Roche in his dominion, in the first half of the 13th century.

Sources