Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Μεσσηνία

The Agios Ioannis church (Holy Metropolitan Church of St. John the Baptist of Messina) is the metropolitan church of the city of Messini. In 1986 during devastating earthquakes the church was badly damaged and eventually demolished. Today, a new large church with two large bell towers has been erected. The new church was built in the form of the previous one with some changes such as the dome, the second bell tower and the removal of the porch. The inauguration of the new church was held on October 17, 1993.

At the south edge of Methoni Castle a fortified islet floats. Bourtzi - as it is called - was built in the1500’s by the Venetians and is connected to the Sea Gate of the castle with a paved tiny road. At various times it was used as a fort, a prison, a lighthouse, and a refuge during periods of raids. Bourtzi consists of an octagonal tower, which is surrounded by a low octagonal wall. The tower is built on two levels and is covered with a semi-cylindrical dome. A four-sided cistern occupies its ground floor.

Methoni Castle - one of the most important fortress complexes in Greece - was built after 1209 by the Venetians, who at the time were occupying the area and were seeking to fortify the towns from piracy and rivals seeking to overtake their territories. It was the Venetians who began to build the castle, while during its occupation by the Franks and Ottomans, it unavoidably underwent their alterations. The castle reached its great prime during the 1st Venetian Rule, between the 13th and the 15th century, while its final decline came about around 1828, when its inhabitants were transferred outside the walls, leaving it to ruin. The Castle of Methoni covers an area of approximately 93,000 square metres and is divided into two parts. The south part is taken up by the city, which is surrounded by a simple wall, while the city’s fort lies at its northern part, with exterior fortification owing to its defensive purpose. The castle is separated from the land by a ditch and can be reached by a stone bridge with 14 arches.

The monastery of Timi Prodromos is located within the walls of the castle of Koroni. It is still inhabited by nuns who follow the Julian Old Calendar. It was founded in 1918 by the monk Theodoulos, where he lived and practiced as an ascetic. It is a large, well kept monastery, both inside and outside with the temple of Timios Prodromos and a chapel dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. The nuns are running a small souvenir shop (PiP4). We climbed to the top of an octagonal tower - located inside the courtyard of the monastery - with amazing views over the village of Koroni and the endless blue sea (PiP5).

The Holy Byzantine Church of Zoodochos Pigi Samarina (Ιερός Βυζαντινός Ναός Ζωοδόχου Πηγής – Σαμαρίνας) was built in the 12th century. The church was built as the catholicon of the women’s monastery which is considered to be founded by Andronikos II Palaiologos. From the monastery survive today only the ruins of cells, the cistern and one cemetery church nearby. Architecturally the church belongs to the type of cross-in-square church with a dome supported by two columns. During later stages they added the narthex, with the open portico on the western side, and the bell tower, which is considered Frankish, in the 13th century. The walls are built very carefully, at the lower part with large rectangular stones that came from ancient buildings, and the upper part with rich ceramic decoration. At the interior of the church there are impressive wall paintings, with characteristic the monumental representations of Christ’s life. Nowadays the Church of Zoodochos Pigi (Liife Giving Source) is the metochi (= embassy church) of the Voulcanou Monastery . It is located in the middle of nowhere between the villages Kalogerorachi and Ellinoekklisia. It is considered being one of the most beautiful; and well preserved Byzantine monuments of the Peloponnese

The Polylimnio Waterfalls are a collection of 15 cascading waterfalls and azure and turquoise little lakes located in the heart of Peloponnese. The waterfalls are formed by the flow of the Kadis River. The name of this waterfall complex comes from the word (poly=many, limnio=lake), which together means “many lakes”. Each of the lakes has its own name: for instance Mavrolimna , meaning “black lake”, Tou Italou , which means “of the Italian” and Stathula , which is a girl’s name. The biggest lake is “Kadi Lake”, which has the biggest waterfalls that reach a height of 25 meters. We were really surprised by the gorge with the waterfalls and little lakes, which looks like a paradise on earth. It was one of the hidden gems during our holiday on the Peloponnese. Polylimnio means “many lakes” and this is exactly what we discovered. We walked along a path with rocks, tree roots and metal aiding handles. It was tough and tiring - especially with the high temperatures - but totally worth it.

Andromonastiro ( Ανδρομονάστηρο ) is a Byzantine monastery fortress founded at the end of the 12th century. Since it was built like a fortress, it contributed significantly to the Greek War of Independence of 1821, where it suffered a lot of damage from Ottoman troops. In 1785, and in order to halt the decline of the monastery, it was dedicated, as metochi (= embassy church), to the famous monastery of Agia Aikaterini on Mount Sinai. They sold the complex in 1929 and in 1862 it was granted to the Voulcanou Monastery . Andromonastiro stands out for its remarkable fortress-like architecture, with buildings from different periods and various uses. Thecomplex consists of a three-storey building with the dining room, a two-storey wing with the monks' cells, storerooms, stables and the wine press and another two-storey building with the main entrance to the monastery. The katholikon (main church) of the monastery was built at the end of the 12th century on a holy place, a spring with drinking water, which still gushes today in an underground vaulted space. A second construction phase took place in the 17th century; in the middle of the 17th century, the northern chapel of Saint Catherine was added to the church. The oldest frescoes date back to the middle of the 13th century. The newest frescoes belong to the 17th-18th century and are located in the lower perimeter zone of the church. The monastery, which was in ruins for many years, has been completely restored since 2011. Nowadays it is considered being the most impressive monastic complex in the Messenian countryside and one of the most beautiful in the Peloponnese.

One of Greece’s most significant archaeological sites, Ancient Messene is also renowned for the impressive ruins of its monumental fortification - the 9,5 km long circuit wall flanked by towers at regular intervals with two main entrances, one of which is the Arcadian Gate. Large rectangular limestone blocks were used for its construction quarried on the spot on the rocky body of Mt. Ithome which at places preserves evidence of ancient quarrying activity. The city wall was 9,5 km long and 7 to 9 metres high. It was fortified by 30 square or horseshoe-shaped guard towers with doors admitting passage to a protected walkway on top of the wall. The wall was pierced by two main gates flanked by protective structures. Through the Arcadian Gate to the north ran and still runs the main road north (to Arcadia), currently from Mavrommati. The Arcadian Gate and adjacent section of the wall up to were restored from 2003 to 2005.

Ancient Messene is considered of being amongst the most exciting and complete archaeological settlements ever discovered and one of the most beautifully situated. Little more than a lush green valley in the southwestern Peloponnese - not far away from the city of Kalamata - just 40 years ago, it now ranks as one of the most significant remains of Greek antiquity. The city was founded in 369 BC and for many years the capital of the Messinian state. It flourished in the 4th century BC after the defeat of the Spartans by the Theban General Epaminondas, ending centuries of Spartan rule. The city was never subsequently destroyed or settled over, allowing an astonishing insight into life in ancient times. A complex that some believe is little more than a third excavated has already revealed the remains of a theatre, agora, stadium and gymnasium, as well as an assortment of sanctuaries, temples, statues, springs and dwellings. Nowadays Ancient Messene is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kalograion Monastery (or “Monastery of the Nuns”) was founded in 1796 and has been a female-only Greek Orthodox monastery, housing hundreds of nuns through the years. It is dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen. The complex is situated among the foothills of Kalamata Castle in the narrow streets of the historical centre. The complex’s main building is rectangular and surrounds a central courtyard filled with orange trees. It has a church integrated into it and also houses the nuns’ living areas. The monastery was built on the ruins of an abandoned 13th-century church, and some of the remains can be seen near the main altar. Throughout its history, the monastery has also served as a local charity and as a place of refuge, coming to the aid of the local population during the Ottoman occupation, the German/Italian occupation, the Greek Civil War, and after the devastating earthquake of 1986. The monastery was well known for the production of the famous Kalamata silk scarves, known to be among the finest in the world. One still can visit the weaving room. (As far as I understand the nuns are no longer weaving these products.)

The castle of Kalamata is situated on a hilltop northwest of the modern city. It was originally constructed during the Byzantine times and even an ancient acropolis before the Trojan War. In the beginning of the 13th century Gottfried A Villard, Frank prince and founder of the Principality of Achaea, conducted a large reconstruction of the castle, which resulted to its present form of a typical Byzantine fort. A shelter-like tower with a vaulted cistern is situated on the wall’s steepest side. There are two fortification zones: the hilltop was protected by the inner fortificationline, while a second outer fortification zone surrounded the accessible and more vulnerable east side of the castle. The fortification walls were developed following the natural terrain and bore bastions, not preserved today. During the second Venetian occupation, which lasted from 1685 to 1715, new alterations and repairs took place. Among them stands out the reconstruction of the East Gate, where was immured a slab bearing a winged lion, landmark of Venice. In 1825 the castle suffered extended destructions caused by the Ottoman army. In the 6th century a chuch was built in the castle devoted to Virgin Mary. An icon of here in the church became famous as Kalomata (= “beautiful eyes”). This later evolved to “Kalamata”, which became the name of the church, castle and city.

The Church of the Holy Apostles ( Ιερός Ναός των Αγίων Αποστόλων ) is a small Byzantine church, probably dating back to the 12th century. During the years of the second Venetian occupation (1685-1715), a basilica dome was added to the west of the central building, in order to give more space to the church, as well as a bell tower at its northeast side. The church is decorated with frescoes which probably date from the 17th century and are preserved in a (poor) state. ( Doors were closed, so I could not visit the interor of the chuch .) The church suffered extended damages due to a strong earthquake in 1986. Since then a series of restoration projects were conducted in order to restore the temple. The small Church of the Holy Apostles - located in the historic center of Kalamata - is one of the most significant monuments in the history of the modern Greek state. It made history the morning of 23rd of March 1821. Kalamata has just got liberated from the Ottomans and after the final victory, the local population assembled in front of the church. There was held the first Greek Orthodox mass on free Greek territory in over 360 years. The Greeks then made a formal declaration of independence in front of the church and then took an oath of loyalty to the revolution. The Greeks continued with their efforts and eventually achieved full victory and independence in 1832.

The old monastery of Voulcanou - most probably built in the beginning of the 8th century – was located om the summit of mountain Ithomi, near amcient Messene. However, the location of the old monastery was somewhat inaccessible and unprotected against the elements, which made living conditions particularly difficult. In 1625 it was abandoned and a new one, further to the south, was set to be built by the monks. The main church of the new monastery was built in 1701 and is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church is a Byzantine domed cruciform that houses the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary Voulkaniotissa. Relics of many saints are also kept in the new monastery, while there is also a notable library with books both old and new. Voulcanou Monastery - restored in 1967 - still operates nowadays as a male convent.

The Ypapanti Cathedral was built between 1860 and 1873 in order to accommodate an icon of Virgin Mary, which was found under the remains of an older church build in the same area. The church is officialle named Ypapanti tou Sotiros (Presentation of the Savior). The church was consecrated in 1873. The church is a cross-in-square with a dome and represents an interesting example of the neoclassical style. On the location of the current church there was a Byzantine temple, which was destroyed by the Turkalbans in 1770. The later built churches were destroyed many times after that, either by intruders and a couple of times by earthquakes. The last time was by the big earthquake of Kalamata in 1986. Nowadays the Ypapanti cathedral is completely restored and accessible again, offering some uniquely beautiful icons - the most prominent of Virgin Mary - and an amazing iconostase.