Gardiki Castle () is a 13th-century

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

castle on the southwestern coast of

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

. It is the only surviving medieval fortress on the southern part of the island. It was built by a ruler of the

Despotate of Epirus The Despotate of Epirus () was one of the Greek Rump state, successor states of the Byzantine Empire established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 by a branch of the Angelos dynasty. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the ...

, and was one of three castles which defended the island before the Venetian era (1401–1797). The three castles formed a defensive triangle, with Gardiki guarding the island's south,

Kassiopi Castle Kassiopi Castle () is a castle on the northeastern coast of Corfu overseeing the fishing village of Kassiopi. It was one of three Byzantine Empire, Byzantine-period castles that defended the island before the Republic of Venice, Venetian era (13 ...

the northeast and Angelokastro the northwest

Origins and location

The castle dates from the thirteenth century. It is located on a low hill near the village of Agios Matthaios, which is situated at a higher elevation. The ruler responsible for the construction of the castle is not known, but it is assumed that it was built either by Michael I Komnenos or his son Michael II Komnenos, rulers of the

. Immediately to the south of the castle lies

Korissia Korissia () is a former municipality on the island of Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Corfu, of which it is a municipal unit. It is in the southern part of the island. It ...

Lake which is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. Gardiki entrance

Remains from the

Upper Paleolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories ...

era, dating from 20,000 B.C., when Corfu was still united to the mainland region of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

, were found on the site of the castle at the

rock shelter A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long or wide, rock shelters are alm ...

of Grava Gardikiou, including

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

stone tool Stone tools have been used throughout human history but are most closely associated with prehistoric cultures and in particular those of the Stone Age. Stone tools may be made of either ground stone or knapped stone, the latter fashioned by a ...

s and animal bones, which have since been removed and are exhibited at the

Archaeological Museum of Corfu The Archaeological Museum of Corfu () in Corfu, Greece was built between 1962 and 1965. The museum land was donated by the Corfu (city), city of Corfu. Its initial purpose was to house the archaeological finds from the Temple of Artemis (Corfu), ...

. The location of Gardiki at the narrow southwest flank of Corfu provided protection to the fields and the southern lowlands of Corfu and in combination with

on the northeastern coast of the island and Byzantine Angelokastro protecting the northwestern shore of Corfu, formed a triangular line of defence which protected Corfu during the pre-Venetian era.

Architecture

The walls of Gardiki Castle form an octagon and the structure features eight strong towers decorated by rows of tiles. There are elements from an ancient structure which have been incorporated into the construction of the castle. The ancient structure was probably a fountain-house. The eight towers are square in shape and the outline of the octagonal structure is almost elliptical. At the top of the southern tower there are traces of a chapel with remnants of religious frescoes of portraits of saints. Although in a state of disrepair, the towers still retain their full height. The castle entrance is preserved but the interior is in a state of ruin. Gardiki Castle is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands, along with Angelokastro, Kassiopi Castle and the two Venetian Fortresses of Corfu City, the Citadel and the New Fort.

Historical reference

Corfiote noble Andrea Marmora, the earliest historian of Corfu in medieval times, in his 1672 book ''Della Historia di Corfù'' mentions that the despots of Epirus adorned the city of Corfu with "most noble buildings" and built defences in other places on the island, including the fortresses of Gardiki and Angelokastro amongst other important sites.Andrea Marmora, ''Della Historia di Corfù'', 1672, Libro 4
p. 210
"Adorno egli di nobilissimi edificii la Città; fabbricò in posto, molto atto alla difesa, il castel S. Angelo; fortificò Gardichio e altri luoghi importanti sù l'Isola..."

Architectural highlights

File:Corfu Gardiki Castle R01.jpg, Detail of one of the towers of the castle File:Auf den Mauern von Gardiki 04.jpg, Detail of the walls File:Gardiki Castle.jpg, Outer perimeter of Gardiki Castle File:Auf den Mauern von Gardiki 02.jpg, Detail of the walls

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century History of Corfu Byzantine castles in Greece Buildings and structures in Corfu Tourist attractions in the Ionian Islands (region) Hill castles Despotate of Epirus 13th-century fortifications in Greece