Riniasa Castle (), originally known as Thomokastron (), is a medieval

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

fortress on the coast of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

, close to the modern village of

Riza : A riza ( Russian: риза, "vestment," "robe"; Ukrainian: шати, ''shaty'', "vestments") or oklad (оклад, "cover"), sometimes called a "revetment" in English, is a thin metal cover protecting an icon. It is usually made of gilt or s ...

near

Preveza Preveza (, ) is a city in the region of Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza, which is the s ...

. The castle is today in a ruinous condition.

History

The castle was built (or rebuilt) by Thomas I the

Despot of Epirus The Despot of Epirus was the ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, one of the rump states of the Byzantine Empire in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. The name "Despotate of Epirus" and the title "despot of Epirus" are modern historiographical name ...

, at the beginning of the 14th century. Hence, was named Thomokastron ("Thomas' castle") or the "castle of the despotes." It was conquered by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1463 and liberated from the Turks and the rest of Greek Epirus during the 20th century. It is the site of the 1803 self-immolation of

Despo Botsi Despoina Botsi (; ), commonly known as Despo Botsi, was a Souliot woman who went down in history for her resistance to the troops of Ali Pasha of Ioannina and her heroic death—together with the women and children she had under her protection—i ...

and her family, after which it is also known as Despo's Castle (Κάστρο της Δέσπως).

References

Sources

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External links

Riniasa Castle
at ''kastra.eu'' Buildings and structures in Preveza (regional unit) Byzantine castles in Epirus (region) Byzantine fortifications in Greece Populated places of the Byzantine Empire {{Portal bar, Byzantine Empire, Greece