Riniasa Castle

Riniasa Castle (Greek: Κάστρο Ῥινιάσας), originally known as Thomokastron (Greek: Θωμόκαστρον, lit. 'Castle of Thomas'), is a medieval Byzantine fortress on the coast of Epirus, close to the modern village of Riza near Preveza. The castle is today in a ruinous condition.

Riniasa Castle
Κάστρο Ῥινιάσας
Riza, Western Greece
Riniasa Castle
Coordinates	39.0803°N 20.3533°E
Type	hilltop citadel
Height	185 m
Site information
Owner	Greek Ministry of Culture
Controlled by	Despotate of Epirus 14th century  Ottoman Empire 1463
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	ruin
Site history
Built	late 13th century/early 14th century
Built by	Byzantine Empire
Materials	hewn stone (ashlar)

History

The castle was built (or rebuilt) by Thomas I the Despot of Epirus, 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 in 1463.

Sources

• Brooks, Allan (2013). Castles of Northwest Greece: From the early Byzantine Period to the eve of the First World War. Aetos Press. ISBN 978-0-9575846-0-0.
• Soustal, Peter; Koder, Johannes (1981). Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Band 3: Nikopolis und Kephallēnia (in German). Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. ISBN 978-3-7001-0399-8.
• Veikou, Myrto (2012). Byzantine Epirus: A Topography of Transformation. Settlements of the Seventh-Twelfth Centuries in Southern Epirus and Aetoloacarnania, Greece. BRILL. ISBN 9004221514.

External links

• Riniasa Castle at kastra.eu (in Greek and English)