Castle of Antimachia #1020

Description

According to the knights' chronicle, the castle was constructed during the tenure of Grand Master Hélion de Villeneuve, placing its construction sometime between 1322 and 1346.

A key moment in the castle's history was the 1457 siege by the Ottomans, during which 15 knights and 200 locals successfully repelled an attack by 16,000 Turks, who were eventually forced to withdraw.

In 1493, a major earthquake nearly destroyed the castle, but it was later rebuilt. The Grand Master del Carretto (1513–1521) commissioned the construction of the massive semi-circular bastion to better defend the gate.

The Ottoman army used the castle as a military base until 1871, though the local population had abandoned it earlier in the 19th century. Afterward, the castle remained deserted.