Acropolis of Styron #1110

Description

The fortress is located near the rocky peak of Diakofti (also called Agios Nikolaos) on Mount Kliosi, southeast of the town of Styra in Euboea. From its elevated position, the fortress offers a panoramic view over the region, including Attica. Strategically, it controlled the southern border of Eretria and monitored the main ancient route to Karystos.

The fortress has been known by various names: the Byzantines called it "Armena," the Franks referred to it as "Larmenie," and the ancient Greeks knew it as "Akontion." Locally, it is sometimes called "Diakofti" or the "Castle of Ai Nikolas."

The site originally hosted a Pelasgic acropolis, which later became an ancient Greek fortress, likely built by the Eretrian state after it annexed Styra around 400 BC. The fortress continued to be used through the Byzantine period and the Frankish occupation of Euboea after 1204. It appears on Venetian maps from the 15th century as "Larmena" or "Armena."

In 1276, the castle was captured by the knight Licario, a Frank from Karystos serving the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. In the early 14th century, it fell into the hands of the Catalans, who eventually sold it to the Venetians in 1373. The Ottomans took control in 1470, and the castle remained in use for some time, likely being abandoned in the 17th century.

The main fortifications consist of the original ancient walls, with some medieval additions on the eastern side.