Acrocorinth: A landmark from antiquity to the Middle Ages

The hill’s exceptional geographical position – overlooking a large part of the Peloponnese and Central Greece, as well as the Corinthian and the Saronic Gulfs – along with its naturally fortified geomorphology, i.e. steep slopes crowned with broad plateaus, and its adequate supply of drinking water, were decisive factors in choosing it as the ideal location for the the fortified acropolis of ancient and medieval Corinth.

The imposing walls (approximately 3,000 meters long) reinforced with three defensive enclosures and a deep moat on the western side of the hill – which was, admittedly, its weakest point – were the sum of many successive construction phases. The earliest phase dates to the Archaic period, when Corinth was ruled by the tyrant Cypselus and his descendants (657-583 BC). Major interventions and expansions were carried out during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, as well as the Second Venetian rule (1687–1715).

The walls enclose an area of about 240,000 square meters that details numerous remains from different periods, a testament to the continuous use of the site, forming an important monument complex.

Notably, the Sanctuary of Aphrodite lies at the highest point of the hill, with the remains of an Early Christian basilica and a tower built upon its ruins at a later stage. In the same area you will find the Church of Saint Demetrios, two more churches in ruins, a Muslim mosque, the so-called “Frankish” tower, a large Byzantine cistern and the Upper Peirene fountain at the spring of the same name, associated with Pegasus, the mythical winged horse.

After the Ottomans surrendered Acrocorinth to Theodoros Kolokotronis and the Greek revolutionaries on October 26, 1823, the castle was gradually abandoned. However, with the end of the site’s long period of habitation began a new phase of scholarly research and restoration work, aimed at preserving and highlighting the timeless monument of Acrocorinth.