Himarë Castle
Castle in Himarë in southern Albania / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Himarë Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Himarës), locally also known as Kastro[1] is a castle in Himarë, in southern Albania.
Himarë Castle | |
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Kalaja e Himarës | |
Himarë, Albania | |
Coordinates | 40.11771°N 19.73166°E / 40.11771; 19.73166 |
Site information | |
Owner | Albania |
Controlled by | Chaonians (Epirus) Roman Empire Byzantine Empire Despotate of Epirus Kingdom of Albania Republic of Venice Ottoman Empire Albania |
Open to the public | Yes |
It is one pf 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]