Communication between Ioannina and Arta was difficult due to the mountainous terrain. The only natural passage that the road was passable throughout the year, since it was cobbled in all its difficult parts, was the one that passed through the Pénte Pigádia position.

The highest point of this route was at 770 m and covered half the distance Ioannina – Arta. It was one of the main road arteries and led from Salaora to Pente Pigadia and from there to Ioannina.

The possibility of surveillance in two directions from this point and the existence of abundant water made the place an ideal stopover. In this way, the passage to the plain of Ioannina could be controlled, giving the city the possibility of defense.

At Pente Pigadia there was an inn for travelers and two fortresses built close to each other, one of which is now completely in ruins. The existence of five water wells in direct relation to the inn gave the characteristic name to the area. The inn had a great reputation and was the central inn of this route, as a result of which most of the travelers of the time spent the night there.

Source: The text is translated from information we found from: Κωσταγιάννη Μαρία, Φρούριο στη θέση Πέντε Πηγάδια, σελ. 12

The castle is part of the group of inland forts that were created to control the crossings. The fort of the Five Wells is chronologically the last fort of this category. It is an elongated rectangular building running from east to west and is joined by two bastions that protrude in the other directions giving the plan the shape of a cross.

From newer sources it is established that the central part was covered with a roof and had the form of a residence. The two bastions that protrude had no roof but only a perimeter parapet with cannon ports. The complex has two floors and throughout its floor plan it still maintains its original dimensions.

Source: The text is translated from information we found from: Σμύρης Γεώργιος, Το δίκτυο των οχυρώσεων στο Πασαλίκι των Ιωαννίνων, σελ. 402

The Battles at Pente Pigadia

Source: The text is translated from information we found from: Κωσταγιάννη Μαρία, Πολεμικές συγκρούσεις στα Πέντε Πηγάδια, σελ. 18

Due to their strategic importance, the Pente Pigadia were repeatedly a battlefield, at the beginning of the Greek Revolution, in the Greek-Turkish wars of 1853 and 1897 and finally in the Balkan wars of 1912-13.

In mid-September 1821 there was a war with a victorious outcome for the Souliotes. The position at Pénte Pigádia had been occupied by the Souliotes since December 1820. Selim Pasha tried to retake it with 5,000 men but was defeated with heavy losses by Markos Botsaris.

When Toskesi (note Achladies Souliou) was threatened, Hursit sent 3,500 troops to reinforce the garrison. Then George Drakos with 350 Suliotes and his Albanian ally Muhurdaris with 200 men occupied Pente Pigadia. On September 15, 1821, they clashed with the Turks and defeated them. Two days later the Turks attacked again. They even made an attempt to surround them but were defeated by the men of Mouhourdaris. The attack cost them 200 dead and they were forced to retreat. The Souliotes lost 3 while the Albanian allies twelve.

During the Russian-Turkish war and the rebellion of the enslaved Greeks in Epirus, the Pente Pigadia were the scene of battles and the hostilities in this location necessitated the continuous presence of military force and guarding the location.

In the Greek-Turkish War of 1897 there were clashes in the area of Pente Pigadia and during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 (“thirty day war” or “unfortunate war”), which was a consequence of the outcome of the Cretan problem. The Greek forces in Epirus during this period were completely disorganized. On April 11, a battle was fought in the area of the Pente Pigadia which ended at the expense of the Greeks. In the battle fought on April 17, the Greeks were defeated and pursued by the Ottomans. This defeat of Greece marked the reorganization of the Greek army in all sectors, a fact that later led to the victorious Balkan Wars.

In the period of the Balkan wars, the location of the Pente Pigadia was once again a theater of military conflicts. After the victory of the Greeks in the battle of Nicopolis and the capture of Preveza, Essat Pasha launched a counterattack with a center of expeditions at Pénte Pigádia, where the Ioannina commander himself was and directed the operations.

The total losses of the Greeks in the battle of the Five Wells amounted to 26 dead and 222 wounded. Four months later, after the great battle of Byzantium, Ioannina was liberated by the Greek army on February 21, 1913. The annexation of the lands of Epirus to Greece also meant the definitive degradation of the military importance of the Five Wells. The place was gradually consolidated in the perception of the people of Ioannina as a nearby destination for recreation and short trips for families and schools.

<p>The post The Castle of Pente Pigadia: A Historical Jewel of Epirus first appeared on Epirus Explorer.</p>