Mystras

Mystras, Greece

Early morning sun illuminates the ruined stone arches of the Despot's Palace at Mystras, set against the steep slopes of the Taygetos mountains.

Mystras is a Byzantine city clinging to a Taygetos slope above Sparta, where frescoed churches and Frankish ruins make a slow, rewarding day.

The place

Mystras sits on a spur of the Taygetos mountains, a few kilometres above the modern city of Sparta. The archaeological site is a fortified town of stone houses, churches and palace buildings stacked up a steep hillside, with a castle on the summit. During the late medieval centuries it was the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea, and scholars and artists gathered here during a late flowering of Byzantine culture. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI, ruled it as despot before he took the throne in Constantinople.

The town was never empty for long. It stayed lived in through the Ottoman period, when travellers often assumed they were looking at ancient Sparta and sketched it accordingly. By the 1830s the population had moved down the hill to a new Sparta, and the upper streets were left to the churches and the weather.

What you see today is the layered result. The lower, middle and upper city follow the slope, and most streets are footpaths because wheeled carts could not manage the gradient. Pines and cypresses cover the surrounding hills, with small rivers and lakes nearby. The site feels more like a set of connected courtyards than a single monument, so expect to climb a lot and to stop often. The main use of the terraces was for the palace, and the markets seem to have sat outside the walls.

Its story

The Frankish prince William II of Villehardouin, ruler of the Principality of Achaea, pushed into Laconia after the Fourth Crusade had opened the Morea to conquest. In late 1248 he took Monemvasia, the last Byzantine outpost on the peninsula, and the surrounding peoples soon submitted. Over the winter he toured the region choosing sites for new fortresses. Near his residence at ancient Sparta, on a spur of Taygetos, he built the castle that became known as Mystras.

Fortune turned in 1259 at the Battle of Pelagonia, where the Nicaean emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos captured William and many of his nobles. The price of freedom was an oath of loyalty and the handover of Monemvasia, Grand Magne and Mystras, completed in 1262. From then on Mystras housed the Byzantine governor of the Morea. That governor was at first changed every year, and later appointed for longer terms. William broke his oath almost as soon as he got home, and fighting between Byzantines and Franks resumed.

Those Byzantine decades gave the town its wealth and its churches. The city grew down the slope, and its buildings mix local design with the architecture of Constantinople. Its greatest period came when it was the despots' capital. The Ottomans kept it inhabited, though its importance faded. In the 1830s people left the hill for a new Sparta, and the old town became a ruin that visitors came to study. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989.

What to see

Culture

Mystras is a working religious landscape as well as a ruin, and several of its churches are still used for worship by a small monastic community. Greek Orthodox practice shapes much of what happens inside. Visitors notice icons, candles and the smell of incense, and people often stop to kiss an icon or light a candle. Treat these as acts of devotion rather than sights. The wider culture is also one of coffee and conversation. Village kafeneia are places where older men sit for hours over small cups, and you are welcome to join them without any pressure to order quickly. Greek hospitality means a glass of water or a small sweet may appear without being asked. People in Sparta and the villages are used to visitors, but a greeting in Greek, such as kalimera in the morning, is always appreciated. Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and step back quietly during a service rather than wandering across the nave.

What to wear

Traditional dress in the Peloponnese is known mainly from festivals and museum collections rather than daily life. Village women once wore wool and linen, with embroidered blouses, aprons and woven belts, while men wore wool trousers, waistcoats and, in some regions, the fustanella, a pleated kilt. Embroidery, dark wool and handwoven cloth are the textiles most associated with the region. Today most people in Sparta and the villages dress much as people do across Greece, in jeans, linen shirts and light summer clothes. Smarter dark or dressy outfits appear at church services, weddings and name-day celebrations.

For your own visit, the main concerns are sun, stone and churches. Paths are uneven and sometimes slippery, so pack walking shoes with grip rather than thin-soled sandals. Light cotton or linen in pale colours keeps the heat off on a summer day, and a wide hat helps because there is little shade on the upper paths. Bring a light long-sleeved layer, since mountain air can turn cool in the evening. For the churches, cover your shoulders and knees, and carry a shawl or scarf so you can cover your hair or shoulders quickly if asked. Skip very short shorts and bare backs; a scarf draped over a sundress solves most problems.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. March brings green hillsides and the mildest walking weather, and November is comfortable too, while June to August are the hottest months. July and August are very hot on the open upper paths, and the stone holds heat well into the evening.

How long. 2

Getting there. Fly into Athens or Kalamata, then hire a car or take a bus to Sparta. The ruins are about seven kilometres west of Sparta along the EO84 national road. Local buses leave from in front of the Archaeological Museum in Sparta, but they are infrequent, so confirm the last return bus with the tourism office there.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

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