Archaeological Site of Mystras

Mystras climbs a 620-meter hill above Sparta, with a fortress at the summit and palaces, houses, churches, and monasteries descending inside two lower defensive enclosures. William II of Villehardouin built the castle in 1249. The Byzantines took control in 1262, and Mystras became the seat of the Despotate of the Morea in 1348.

The city's churches preserve late Byzantine architecture and frescoes, including Hagios Demetrios, Hodegetria, Peribleptos, and Pantanassa. Ottoman forces captured Mystras in 1460, followed by a period of Venetian rule. Residents gradually moved to the new town of Sparta after 1834, leaving the fortified city largely empty. The site is steep, and its monuments are spread across multiple levels rather than gathered around one entrance.