Remains of a small medieval settlement with a keep on a conical hill SW of the village Pefko (old name: Tsarouchli) south of Kalavryta in Achaea.

History

We do not know anything about the history of the castle. It has not been identified with any unknown castle mentioned by the sources.

It is assumed that it exists since the 13th or the 14th century. Maybe it was a Frankish fief which passed in the 14th century under Byzantine control like most of the settlements of Arcadia. A village named Tsarouchli is recorded in the Turkish period but this is the name of the modern village not the name of the medieval settlement on the hill which remains unknown.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The ruins spread on a rough and elongated terrain, from west to the east, on the top of the hill covering about 8,000 sq.m. within a perimeter of 450m.

What we have here is a small settlement with a small keep at the highest and westernmost point.

The keep occupies 400 sq.m. within a perimeter of 130m. In the middle there are the ruins of a 8✖4m tower which appears to have been the donjon. A wall that is preserved at 2m height at the southern side, next to the chapel of St. George, was probably part of a second tower. At the northern corner of the keep there are traces of another tower measuring 5✖6m. This tower must have been protecting the entrance to the castle, since here was the only accessible side of the hill. The curtain wall of the castle is visible but is saved in very low height, less than 1m. In the interior of the keep there are piles ruins of buildings.

All buildings and fortifications are constructed of rubble stones without mortar. The donjon is the only structure where mortar has been used.

The settlement with the ruins of many small houses spreads on the steep slope to the east of the keep. No cisterns have been observed inside the keep or the settlement but there is a water spring outside the walls at the NE slope of the hill.

Sources