the fortress
The Byzantine fortress of Gynaikokastro is located at the top of a naturally fortified hill northeast of the modern village of Palaio Gynaikokastro, in the plain of Kilkis. On the slopes of the hill there are indications of its timeless habitation from the prehistoric to the late post-Byzantine era. The fortress was built on the site of an older one by Andronikos Palaiologos the 3rd (1328-1341), and occupies an area of about 25 acres.
The importance of Gynaikokastro, which is one of the few Byzantine fortresses in the region of Kilkis mentioned by name in late Byzantine written sources, led the 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities to conduct exploratory excavations on the site during the 1984-1993 period. In 2007 and 2008, further actions were taken by the same Ephorate, along with the funding from the 3rd Community Support Framework, in order for the site to be more accessible to the public: the enclosure was fixed, especially on its east, north and west sides, the interior of the fortress was formed, and the road connecting the fortress with the modern road network and the settlement of Gynaikokastro was improved.
description
The fortress occupies an area of about 25 acres and in plan view has a trapezoidal shape. It is surrounded by strong outer walls, founded directly on the natural rock with a perimeter of 614 m., intermittently interrupted by rectangular and semicircular towers. Today they are preserved at a height ranging from 5.0 to 8.0 m. Their masonry is made of mudstone with sporadic bricks and mortar as a binder material.
The entrance to the fortress is located at its southeast side, accessible through a paved road, while another entrance at its northeast side was accessible via steep steps carved on the rock that led directly to the citadel at the northeast part of the castle.
The citadel has its own fortification which is quadrangular in shape. Its southern walls are preserved at a maximum height of 13.00 m. On the western walls, a series of blind reinforcing arches on their inner side indicate the existence of a perimeter.
At its highest point, rises the today’s ruined tower built by Andronikos Palaiologos the 3rd. The tower is preserved at a height of 7.5m. and has dimensions 13.46X9.40m. It was a two-storey building with an underground twin-vaulted water tank and a walled chapel on the first floor. It seems that it was accessible by a wooden mobile ladder. An incomplete brick enclosed system is applied to its masonry.
- Th. Savvopoulou, Archaeological tour in the Prefecture of Kilkis. From the prehistoric to the early Christian years, Kilkis 2015, 91-93.
- A. Tourta, Gynaikokastro. Hellas, in Sl. Ćurčić – E. Chatzitryfonos (ed.), Cosmic medieval architecture in the Balkans 1300-1500 and its preservation, Thessaloniki 19993, 110-113, 354-355.
- S. Sampanopoulou, at the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of Thessaloniki, Network of archaeological sites and monuments of Central Macedonia (Prefectures of Thessaloniki – Kilkis – Pieria). Person and Character, Ch. Bakirtzis (supervision-coordination), SV Sampanopoulou (catalog), Archeology Notebooks 5, Thessaloniki 2007, 170-172, 209-210, p. 100.16-17, 18, 20-3, 135. 30, 31-34, 136, fig. 69.
- A. Tokmakidou, The fortress of Gynaikokastro in Kilkis. Study – proposal for restoration and promotion, adm. postgraduate work, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 2012.
