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Himarë Castle

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Himarë Castle
Kalaja e Himarës
Himarë, Albania
Himarë Castle
Himarë Castle is located in Albania
Himarë Castle
Himarë Castle
Coordinates40°07′04″N 19°43′54″E / 40.11771°N 19.73166°E / 40.11771; 19.73166
Site information
Owner Albania
Controlled byChaonians (Epirus)
Roman Empire
 Byzantine Empire

Despotate of Epirus
Kingdom of Albania
Republic of Venice
 Ottoman Empire

 Albania
 Italy

 Albania
Open to
the public
Yes

Himarë Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Himarës), locally also known as Kastro[1] is a castle in Himarë, in southern Albania.

View towards Livadhi beach as seen from the castle

It is one of the main attractions located in the old town of Himara.[2] The Chaonian castle in Himara appears to belong to the set of the earliest Chaonian fortifications.[3] Its ancient walls probably date to the 5th-4th centuries BC.[4] There are also a number of Orthodox churches there such as Panagia Kassopitra where parts of the western side of the ancient wall are preserved inside it.[5][2]

Another church inside the castle is that of the All Saints. According to a local legend when the Greek Orthodox missionary Kosmas visited Himara in 1779, he proposed to the locals to destroy part of that church in order to build a Greek school with this material.[6]

The church of Saint Michael also inside the castle was erected during the 13th century.[7]

The old mansion of Spyros Spyromilios is also among the main attractions found inside the citadel.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Tourist Guide of Himarë. Bashkia e Himares.
  2. ^ a b c Pantazopoulos, Giannis (28 October 2022). "Tour in the historic town of Himara". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). ligo.gr. Retrieved 29 June 2023. η παλαιά πόλη της Χειμάρρας, στην οποία ξεχωρίζει το επιβλητικό Κάστρο... [the old town of Himare, with its imposing castle...
  3. ^ Cipa, 2007, p. 75
  4. ^ Cipa, 2007, p. 72
  5. ^ Cipa, 2007, p. 70
  6. ^ Μαμασούλα, Μαρία. "Παιδεία και Γλώσσα στον Άγιο Κοσμά τον Αιτωλό [Education and language in Saint Kosmas Aetolos works]" (PDF). University of Ioannina. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  7. ^ Cipa, 2007, p. 69