The castle is located west of the village of Kelefa and south of Oitylos. Built at the southernmost end of the Taygetos mountain range, it dominates a natural fortified position above the bay of Oitylo.

Location & Strategic Scope

The castle was built by the Turks to control the unruly Maniates. Together with the castle of Passava, in the east, and of Zarnata, in the north, they controlled the passages to Mani by land and sea.

History

The Castle of Kelefa was built around 1670, by order of the Grand Vizier Kioproulis who sent 6000 men recruited from Athens, Evia and Nafpaktos. It is said that the castle was a reward to the pirate Liberakis Gerakaris from Mani, with the aim of dividing the Maniates.

Kelefa Castle was the seat of Hasan Pasha. The Turks held it from 1670 until 1685, when it was taken over by the Venetians and their Maniate allies at the beginning of the Second Venetian rule in the Peloponnese.

The Venetians perfected it and made it one of the strongest castles, while they designated Bernardo Vlavi as a Provveditore. In 1715 it was handed over to the Turks by treaty, but was gradually abandoned.

So, the castle’s lifespan was relatively short: Less than 80 years.

The castle is sometimes identified with the legendary castle of Maine, which is probably not true.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The castle of Kelefa does not have elaborate masonry. It has relatively thin walls and 4 impressive circular towers (a fifth one has been demolished).

The castle has a square layout. The walls with a perimeter of 580 meters adapt to the terrain and enclose an area of 21,500 sq.m.

The main entrance was on its south-east side, although access today is from the north-east, where a dirt road leads.

Particularly impressive is the outer side of the southwest wall, which is flanked by high circular towers. A semi-circular bastion is built in the middle of this side.

The southern circular tower is the only one that survives in good condition. The entrance to this tower was on the southwest side, it had an arched end, while inside there is a room covered with a dome, which served the needs of the garrison.

The bastion has a semicircular shape and protrudes from the wall. Its entrance is particularly elaborate and internally it is arranged in two rooms roofed by an arch. On the highest plateau in front of the rampart, a small brick cistern has been built, the vaulted roof of which has now collapsed.

At the northern and eastern ends of the wall, two more circular towers have been built, of which the northern one is in better condition today, while the eastern one has collapsed.

Inside the castle there is also a ruined elongated, two-storied (initially) building of large dimensions. The building presents elaborate construction with well-carved opening frames and corner stones.
Finally, between the eastern tower and the entrance to the castle is the tank of the complex. It is a single-storey, stone-built vaulted building.

Sources