HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND LANDSCAPE DATA ABOUT THE CONTEXT
 

Patras’ Byzantine castle was constructed in the second half of the 6^th century AD, during the years of big defensive elevation of the Byzantine Empire in the place where the ancient acropolis was. It consists of an external enclosure with towers and an internal one in the NE corner. In 805 the citizens defended themselves against the Slavs and the Saracens in the castle. They finally won and they considered this to be a miracle by St.Andrew, the patron saint of Patras. The castle was captured by many conquerors: Franks, Venetians, and Turks who made further extensions in castle’s defensive mechanism (bastions, moats) and added new buildings (mosques, baths).

During the period of the Turkish rule Patras was an important commercial city inspite of the continuous conflicts between the Venetians and the Turks which affected the city’s development. One of the oldest monasteries in Greece is that of Panagia Girokomitissa along with that of Agios Nikolaos Balas or Palaiomonastiro because it was established at the end of the 6^th c.The modern city of Patras constructed over the ancient one with a very good street-plan.

 Patras has many remarkable neo-classical buildings.One of them is The ‘Apollo Municipal Theater’ that was built in 1872 by the German architect Ernst Ziller. The theatre is the oldest of the remaining theatres in neoclassical style that is still used today and one of the most impressive buildings of Patras. Other sights of the city are the magnificent church of Saint Andrew and the adjacent basilica.

In the neighboring Municipality of Rio there is the Ottoman Castle built by sultan Vayiazit the 2^nd in 1499 across the castle of Antirio to control the passage from the sea. Moreover the church of Agios Nikolaos in Platani dated to the 12^th c.