Kalamata then…

The acropolis of Farai was presumably located on the spot now occupied by the Castle, which was built after 1204 by Godfried I van Villehardouin.

 

The castle was renovated by the Franks around the 12th century and Prince of Moria Villehardouin gave it to his daughter, Princes Isabeau, as dowry. Major repairs were made during the 2nd occupation by the Venetians. That was also when
the current gate was constructed, over which there is a plaque bearing the faint traces of the Lion of Saint Mark, the symbol of the city of Venice. At the north side of the Castle there is a small Byzantine church, which is said to have been dedicated to the “Kind-eyed” Virgin Mary (Panagia Kalomata in Greek), allegedly responsible for the name of the whole city.

 

During the rule of the Franks, Kalamata was a notable little city that evolved into a significant hub of medieval culture. Thereafter came many conquerors—Slavs, Goths, Saracen pirates, Crusaders, Navarrians, Venetians, Turks—all of which left their imprint on the city. During the Turkish occupation, Kalamata was a small town of approximately 2,000-2,500 residents.

 

Kalamata was the first Greek city to be liberated from the Turks on 23 March 1821.
The church of the Holy Apostles, which was built in 1150 and is extant in the center of the Old Market, marks the location where the flag of the Greek Revolution of Independence was raised for the first time on 23 March 1821.

 

It was in this part of free Greece that the first free local Parliament, the Messinian Senate, was set up and operated.
It was from here that the first official document of the Revolution, the famed “Declaration” of Petrobey Mavromichalis and the Messinian Senate, was sent out “to the European courts.” It was here that the first Greek newspaper, Salpinx Elliniki (Greek salpinx), was published on 1 August 1821. In 1825, Ibrahim Pasha’s troops invaded the city; carnage and looting ensued.

The city’s modern-day growth began in the early 20th century.