The castle
The Byzantine
castle
of
Didimotiho
crowns
a rocky
hill above
the mouth of
Erythropotamos
River in the Evros region. Founded a short
distance from Constantinople,
the castle occupied
a strategic
location as a staging post
on the Adrianople
to Trajanopolis road.
The city
was
established in
Roman times
and
was repeatedly
modified
over
the course of
its
long history, particularly from Justinian
to
Palaeologan
times.
It became particularly
important from the 7th century on, playing a pivotal role in historical
developments, but did not reach its peak until the 14th
century, when members of the imperial court resided in the castle for lengthy
periods. It
was a favourite residence of Emperor
Andronicus III
Palaeologus,
partly on account of the exceptional
hunting
to be had in the
region.
Furthermore, it was the place where John VI
Cantacuzenus
was crowned
emperor
in 1342.
Fortified walls measuring 1800 metres in length
surround the core of the town
to the north,
south and east,
while
the
west is protected by the natural moat formed by the
Erythropotamos River.
The entire perimeter
of the walls
is punctuated by
round, square and horseshoe-shaped towers to reinforce the city's defences.
Several of
the towers
bear
the monogram
of
their
founder,
Michael
Ducas
Glavas Tarhaniotis,
who also founded
the monastery
of Pammakaristos
in
Constantinople,
and
sponsored
the frescoes
in the chapel
of Agios
Euthymios
in the famed Byzantine Church of Agios Demetrios
in Thessaloniki.
Access to the
interior
of the castle was originally gained via two main gates: the Kastroportes
to the east
and the double
gate
known as
Neroportes
to the west,
flanked by pentagonal Justinian
period towers.
Later
modifications saw the addition
of the Saraioportes
in
the
middle of north
wall,
a
large
cylindrical
tower
next to the
river,
and
the Pentazono,
a cistern that
secured the
city’s water supply.
Inside the
walls, surviving structures include the mid-14th
century Byzantine Church
of Saint
Catherine, and a
tomb
of finely hewn masonry
dating from the same period.
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