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Byzantine tower

Ruins of Efkarpia Byzantine tower

 

Ruins of a big tower in the fields 3km east of the village Efkarpia of Serres region, 850m from the west bank of Strymon river.

 

The tower is not mentioned in Byzantine or other historic sources. We know that in this area existed a proastion (settlement) which in 1299 was granted by emperor Andronicos II Palaiologos to the Monastery of Chilandar of Mount Athos.

 

So, most probably, this was a monastic tower similar to the towers of Chlakidiki, the purpose of which was to protect and serve the various dependencies of the monasteries of Mount Athos. The type of construction and the little that we know about the history of the region date the tower around the middle of the 14th century.

 

The layout of the tower is almost a square with internal dimensions 6.5m✖7.0m, wall thickness 2m, preserved at the maximum height of 7m.

 

www.kastra.eu/castleen.php?kastro=efkarpia

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Uploaded on September 15, 2022
Taken on September 15, 2022