The fortress of New Navarino ( el, Νέο Ναυαρίνο; Ottoman Turkish: ''Anavarin-i cedid'') is an Ottoman fortification near

Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. It is one of two castles guarding the strategic

Bay of Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is t ...

, on which it sits; New Navarino is located in the southern entrance of the bay, while the northern entrance is guarded by the 13th-century

Old Navarino castle The Old Navarino castle ( el, Παλαιό Ναυαρίνο) is a 13th-century Frankish fortress near Pylos, Greece. It is one of two castles guarding the strategic bay on which it sits; the other is the Ottoman-built New Navarino fortress. In j ...

, built by the Crusaders of the

Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom ...

. In juxtaposition with the latter, New Navarino is often known simply as Neokastro or Niokastro ( el, Νεόκαστρο or Νιόκαστρο, "new castle").

History

The fortress was built by the ''

Kapudan Pasha The Kapudan Pasha ( ota, قپودان پاشا, modern Turkish: ), was the Grand Admiral of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. He was also known as the ( ota, قپودان دریا, links=no, modern: , "Captain of the Sea"). Typically, he was based ...

Uluç Ali Reis Occhiali (Giovanni Dionigi Galeni or ''Giovan Dionigi Galeni'', also ''Uluj Ali'', tr, Uluç Ali ''Reis'', later ''Uluç Ali Paşa'' and finally Kılıç Ali Paşa; 1519 – 21 June 1587) was an Italian farmer, then Ottoman privateer an ...

in 1572/3, shortly after the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...

. In 1645, Navarino was used as a base for the invasion of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

during the opening stages of the Cretan War. During the

Morean War The Morean War ( it, Guerra di Morea), also known as the Sixth Ottoman–Venetian War, was fought between 1684–1699 as part of the wider conflict known as the " Great Turkish War", between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. Military ...

, the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

under

Francesco Morosini Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the noble Venetian family of Morosini.Encyclopæd ...

captured both fortresses at Navarino in 1686, defended by Mustafa Pasha and Djafer Pasha respectively. Along with the rest of the Peloponnese, the fortresses remained in Venetian hands until 1715, when the Ottomans recaptured the entire peninsula. The fortress was captured by the Russians on 10 April 1770, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 and the Russian-inspired Orlov revolt in Greece, after a six-day siege, and the Ottoman garrison was allowed to evacuate to Crete. Russian control was brief: already on 1 June 1770, the Russian fleet abandoned Navarino, which they destroyed in part, to the Ottomans. After the outbreak of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

in March 1821, the Greeks besieged the fortress for several months. The garrison surrendered in the first week of August 1821 after being assured of safe passage, but were all massacred. The fortress remained in Greek hands until captured by

Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt Ibrahim Pasha ( tr, Kavalalı İbrahim Paşa; ar, إبراهيم باشا ''Ibrāhīm Bāshā''; 1789 – 10 November 1848) was an Ottoman Albanian general in the Egyptian army and the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Kh ...

on 11 May 1825. The Ottoman-Egyptian garrison remained in the fortress until it was handed over to the French troops of the Morea expedition under General

Nicolas Joseph Maison Nicolas Joseph Maison, 1st Marquis of Maison (19 December 1771 – 13 February 1840) was a Marshal of France and Minister of War. In 1830, the modern town of

was founded outside the fortress walls. The fort was abandoned and its citadel used for a long time as a prison facility.

Description

In contrast to the medieval Old Navarino castle, New Navarino incorporates the lessons of

gunpowder warfare Early modern warfare is the era of warfare following medieval warfare. It is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive, including artillery and firearms; for thi ...

, and follows the ''

trace italienne A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

'' style with thick and sloped walls, and strengthened with bastions. The two most important bastions, the so-called "Seventh" (Έβδομο) and that of "Santa Maria", face towards the sea and cover the harbour. The fortress also featured a citadel, which was protected by an additional dry moat, six pentagonal bastions, and almost 60 guns. The citadel is connected with the "Seventh" via a long southern wall, the so-called "Great Bough" (Μεγάλη Βέργα). The main entrance to the fortress was to the southeast, from the "Scalding Gate" (Ζεματίστρα). Only ruins survive of the settlement inside the fortress walls, except for the fortress mosque, which after Greek independence was converted into an Orthodox church dedicated to the

Transfiguration of Christ In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus is an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it (). In these a ...

References

{{coord, 36.911736, N, 21.691128, E, type:landmark_region:GR, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1573 Ottoman fortifications in Greece Buildings and structures in Messenia Pylos 16th-century fortifications in Greece