Venetian Castle

The Acropolis Castle was the stronghold of Venetian fortification in the 14th and 15th centuries, being built on the highest and most easily defendable area of Butrint. The castle was formed by a sub-square keep built into the north wall of an irregular five-sided enclosure. The keep was probably used as the living quarters of the castle commander. At the end of the 14th century the castle was implemented with the construction of walls, buildings and a southern tower. During the Venetian period the defence of the acropolis focused on the strengthening of the West Gate, where a second door was inserted at the end of the 14th century AD. A Venetian casement was built along the northern side to protect the castle agains cannon fire, and the eastern side too saw the construction of a new curtain wall. They were all probably part of the program of reparations made in 1387 by the castellanus of Butrint for 50 hyperprya, as recorded in the sources by Siriol Davis. 

On the eastern side of the castle there are the remains of a triple-apsed church. It seems that it was built before the Venetian domination as it can be seen from its masonry and plan: it was built using limestone rubble masonry bonded with mortar and it was a domed cross-in-square building, which are very common in Epirus during the Late Medieval period. Another structure was built over it in the late 14th - early 15th century.

The castle we see today was completely rebuilt by Luigi Maria Ugolini in 1936 after demolishing older structures, probably Medieval defences to the citadel. 

 

Image from Google Earth (2021)

Bibliography on the subject

 

  • Bowden W., Mitchell J., "The Christian topography of Butrint" in Hodges, Bowden and Lako, Byzantine Butrint: excavations and surveys 1994-99, Oxford, 2004, pp. 104-125
  • Greenslade S., Leppard S., Logue M., "The acropolis of Butrint reassessed", in Hansen, Hodges, Leppard, Butrint 4, Oxford, 2013, pp. 47-76
  • Hernandez D. R., "The abandonment of Butrint. From Venetian enclave to Ottoman backwater" in Hesperia, vol. 88, 2019, pp. 365-419
  • Karaiskaj G., Crowson A. (edt), The fortifications of Butrint, English edition of Butrinti dhe fortifikimet e tij (Tirana 1986), London-Tirana, Butrint Foundation, 2009, pp. 82-84
  • Molla N., Paris M. F., Venturini F., "Material boundaries: the city walls at Butrint" in Hansen, Hodges, Butrint 4. The archaeology and history of an Ionian town, Oxbow Books, 2013, pp. 260-279