We walk around Greece, we explore its beauties, and we learn the unknown corners of our country. Stories, myths, and legends are mixed up in a special way and we are now left to admire them as remarkable and special monuments. Some of this may be completely unknown to us. Like, for example, the unknown Women’s Castle of Greece and its history. It is located in northern Greece and is impressive. One of the most special Greek castles that you can visit.
One of the unknown Greek castles and its history
Gynaekocastro (women castle) is located above the village of Paleo Gynaekocastro on a hill near Kilkis. It is a monument with an important history as it was an important Byzantine fortification project of Macedonia. The castle was built by Andronicus III Palaeologus (Byzantine emperor) during his reign. It is thought likely that it was created in 1334 after the Byzantine-Seral border was redefined in the further south.
But why was it built and why was it named after it? The name Gynaekocastro has been named so because it indicated that it was so powerful that it was enough women guard to defend it. There’s another version, the name may have had something to do with the legend concerning its fall and the “myth of Marulias”. This is the oral tradition saved by the Ottoman writer Hadji Khalifa.
According to tradition, the commander of the fortress, when the Turkish troops of Evren Gazi arrived, was a woman named Marulia. This is a woman who organized the defense and even fought herself. Quite possibly the name of the fortress helped the imagination of the locals in identifying the castle with this tradition of the fighting woman.
Photo Source: Pyraechmes
The history says that it is one of the Greek castles which with its construction on the one hand served to stop the danger from the north and on the other hand the protection of Thessaloniki. In addition, the Gynaekocastro served as a place of concentration and protection of the Macedonian plain crop.
Gynaekocastro is one of the Greek castles that many do not know. As we explore Greece, we learn about such interesting corners…
External photography source: Wikimedia
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Frequently Asked Questions
Gynaekocastro, also known as the Women's Castle of Greece, is an unknown Byzantine fortress located above the village of Paleo Gynaekocastro on a hill near Kilkis in northern Greece. It is one of the most special and impressive Greek castles that visitors can explore.
Gynaekocastro was built by Andronicus III Palaeologus, a Byzantine emperor, during his reign. It is thought likely that the castle was created in 1334 after the Byzantine-Seral border was redefined further south.
The castle was named Gynaekocastro because it was considered so powerful that only women were needed to defend it. Another version suggests the name may be connected to the legend of Marulias, a woman commander who organized the defense of the fortress against Turkish troops, preserving this oral tradition through local imagination and folklore.
Gynaekocastro served multiple strategic purposes as a Byzantine fortification: it protected against danger from the north, defended Thessaloniki, and acted as a place of concentration and protection for the crops of the Macedonian plain.
According to tradition preserved by Ottoman writer Hadji Khalifa, Marulias was a woman who served as the commander of the fortress when Turkish troops of Evren Gazi arrived. She organized the defense and fought herself, and this legend likely inspired the castle's name as it became associated with this tradition of a fighting woman protecting the fortress.
