The Tower of Kitriniaris

The Tower of Kitriniaris is located on a characteristic hill, at an altitude of 700 meters, within the limits of the Municipal District of Eksochori in Mani, on the western slopes of Mount Taygetus.

The Tower of Kitriniaris as well as the monasteries of Samuel and Vaidenitsa of the region formed the fortress triangle of Saidona that was necessary for the defense and the surveillance of the villages that belonged to Kardamyli and to Androuvista from the Turkish invasions that used to attack from the side of the Mount Taygetus.

The Tower of Kitriniaris, which is estimated to have been built around 1786, now consists of a rectangular floor plan tower of three floors and a rectangular floor plan pre – building of two floors. The arch-shaped windows, the stone made fence and the arched door of the historic Tower of the Sallow are interesting examples of the pre-revolutionary fortification in Mani.

Kitriniaris family who built the Tower became soon a powerful family and its members informally became captains of the mountainous villages of Androuvista. In fact, the choice of the location where the Tower was built was strategically important, as the place is inaccessible but at the same time the view reaches the coastline.