The Byzantine Archaeological City of Mystras: The Hagia Sophia Monastery

Abstract

Located in western Laconia, the archaeological city of Mystras is the best-preserved Byzantine site in Greece. Known as the ‘Castle City of Mystras’ (Hellenic Ministry of Culture), the city was founded in 1249, when the Frankish prince of Achaia, William II of Villehardouin built a castle fortress on top of Myzithra hill, to control the Evrotas Valley 6km southwest of Sparta. The city passed to Byzantine rule in 1259 and expanded outside the fortress also referred to as the Acropolis of Mystras. Mystras eventually developed into the powerhouse of the Peloponnese and capital of the Despotate of Morea. The city flourished through a significant number of phases, different rulers and population changes (Sinos 2009). This study aims to visualise the history of Mystras through a digital depiction of the different phases of the city, providing a visualisation and projection of archaeological data concerning the area of the Byzantine city, in particular the Hagia Sophia Monastery in the upper city. Using modern spatial technologies, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a Global Positioning System (GPS), the area has been photographed and georeferenced using photogrammetry software, to provide a true orthophoto of the study area. This in turn, acts as the basemap for the subsequent analysis via Geographic Information System (GIS). This work follows the study and digitisation of the area of the Acropolis of Mystras and the castle fortress at the top of Myzithra hill.