The Central Archaeological Council gave a unanimous positive opinion on the results of the research program for the consolidation and restoration of the northern part of the Castle of Methoni, which includes the fortified Acropolis, the access route, the bastions, the wall and the gates of the Castle.

As the relevant announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs, the research program was prepared by the Technical University of Crete within the framework of the Cultural Development Program Agreement between the Ministry of Culture and the Region of Peloponnese, with a budget of 475,000 euros, which also concerns the preparation of the necessary studies for the restoration and promotion of the Castle, as well as in the implementation of the necessary supporting archaeological works.

“The imposing castle of Methoni, a prominent Byzantine monument, is located at the crossroads of the sea routes of the Mediterranean. Due to its location, it has been continuously inhabited since ancient times. It is one of the most important fortresses of its time in the Greek area,” said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. He added: “The monument presents serious problems due to its location, as it is in direct proximity to the sea and in fact in a place where strong winds blow. The issue of the protection of Methoni Castle was set as an immediate priority after the collapse of part of the western side of the semi-circular tower, within the northern enclosure. In an autopsy that we immediately carried out, the serious structural problems of the fortress were recorded, which needed immediate treatment. The planned operations are aimed at stopping the phenomenon of structural disorganization of the walls, improving the resistance of the monument to the wear and tear of time and the safety conditions of visitors, partial morphological restoration – improving the legibility of the monument. The principles of the proposed interventions are the respect for authenticity, the preservation of all building phases, the limitation of interventions to the minimum necessary to fix the preserved parts and only in certain cases for the safety of visitors or morphological integration individual points. Through the Programmatic Agreement with the Region of Peloponnese, we commissioned the development of a research program and initiated the procedures, so that the studies related to the restoration of the fortified parts of the castle as well as the highlighting of its monuments can be prepared as soon as possible».

According to the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the scope of the research program was divided into the following eight sections: Northern and Eastern Wall, Bastion, Land Gate Fortification, Crossing, West Wall, Bémbo Bastion, Loredan Bastion, Western Bastion, Moat, Northwest Bastion.

For each section, historical evidence was collected, the pathology was recorded and proposals were made for the restoration of the individual architectural and structural elements.

The main problems facing the fortress complex are cracks, disorganization of the wall structure and extensive collapses in the places where there is direct contact with the sea.

In addition, it shows local problems in the structure of the walls, which are due to the detachment of material in recent times, resulting in structural damage but also the morphological alteration of the monument, deterioration of fragile building materials, due to humidity, traffic and visitor safety issues , especially on the western wall, the same announcement adds, among other things.