Alagni, Archanes-Asterousia, Herakleion,Crete
Fortress of Tholoi
| Location: |
| On a hill west of the village Alagni and south of Choudetsi in Archanes, Crete |
| Region > Prefecture: |  |
| Crete Herakleion | |
| Municipality > Town: | |
| City of Archanes-Asterousia • Alagni | |
| Altitude: | |
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Elevation ≈ 640 m (Relative Height≈80 m) |
| Time of Construction | Origin | |
| Various periods | VENETIAN  |
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| Castle Type | Condition | |
| Tower House |
Rather Poor
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A small fort which was built during the last years of the Venetian period of Crete (16th or early 17th century).
The initial building had two storeys. The remaining part of the complex has three dome-shaped rooms, hence the name of the fort (tholos=dome)
At the foot of the hill there is the church of Agioi Apostoloi.
Three things are different in this “castle”: 1) the main building is similar to other Venetian villas in Crete and bears no resemblance to a tower or fort, b) the walls of the fortification are unusually short, c) The place is not mentioned in the official Venetian archives.
All these indicate that Tholoi was not actually a fort but rather a mansion with a view and some fortification.
But this fortification includes some older elements, maybe from an old Byzantine fort.
| First entry in Kastrologos: | December 2013 |
Sources
- Nikos M.Gigourtakis , Monograph in the History Department of the University of Crete, “Byzantine fortifications in Crete in the 2nd Byzantine period (961-1204)”, Rethymno 2004
- ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΝ ΔΕΛΤΙΟΝ, τεύχος 54/B2, 1999, σελ. 894-895
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| Access |
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| Entrance: |
| Free access |