Rooted in a prominent position, silent witness of the past... standing awake and gazing... suing for unwanted visitors... impregnable... stuffed by time... waiting for us to revive its history...

A remnant of the Frankish occupation, is the castle of Oria, whose ruins lie on the rock, west of the city of Kalavrita. It was built by the Baron de Tournay family in 1208. TH. Palaiologos sold it to the Ioannite Knights and then it was conquered by Greeks, Arvanites and Turks. It is said that Catherine Palaiologos committed suicide from one of its towers in 1463, to avoid falling into the hands of the Turks, experiencing the humiliation of captivity. There are about 50 dwellings, 4 cisterns, the eastern side of the main gate and behind it a large, carved stone like a well, half a metre deep. From the top of the castle, the view is impressive.