Cape Matapan
Encyclopedia
Cape Tainaron also known as Cape Matapan , is situated at the end of the Mani
, Laconia
, Greece
. Cape Matapan is the southernmost point of mainland Greece. It separates the Messenian Gulf
in the west from the Laconian Gulf
in the east.
legends claim was the home of Hades
, the god of the dead. The ancient Sparta
ns built several temple
s here dedicated to various gods. On the hill situated above the cave lie the remnants of an ancient temple dedicated to the sea god Poseidon
(Νεκρομαντεῖον Ποσειδῶνος). Under the Byzantine empire
, the temple was converted into a Christian
church, and Christian rites are conducted there to this day. Cape Matapan was once the place were mercenaries waited to be employed.
At Cape Matapan, the Titanic' s would-be rescue ship, the SS Californian
, was torpedoed and sunk by German
forces in 1915. In March 1941, a major naval battle, the Battle of Cape Matapan
, occurred off the coast of Cape Matapan, between the Royal Navy
and the Regia Marina
, in which the British emerged victorious in a one-sided encounter. The Battle's main result was to drastically reduce future Italian naval activity in the Eastern Mediterranean.
More recently a lighthouse
was constructed but it is now in disuse.
As the southernmost point of the Balkan Peninsula, the cape is on the migration route of birds headed to Africa.
Mani Peninsula
The Mani Peninsula , also long known as Maina or Maïna, is a geographical and cultural region in Greece. Mani is the central peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. To the east is the Laconian Gulf, to the west the Messenian Gulf...
, Laconia
Laconia
Laconia , also known as Lacedaemonia, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Cape Matapan is the southernmost point of mainland Greece. It separates the Messenian Gulf
Messenian Gulf
The Messenian Gulf is a sea that is part of the Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of Messenia and the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula in Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Island to the west and Cape Tainaron to the southeast...
in the west from the Laconian Gulf
Laconian Gulf
The Laconian Gulf , is a gulf in the south-eastern Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the southernmost gulf in Greece and the largest in the Peloponnese. In the shape of an inverted "U", it is approximately 58 km wide east-west, and 44 km long north-south...
in the east.
History
Cape Matapan has been an important place for thousands of years. There is a cave at the tip of Cape Matapan that GreekAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
legends claim was the home of Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
, the god of the dead. The ancient Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
ns built several temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s here dedicated to various gods. On the hill situated above the cave lie the remnants of an ancient temple dedicated to the sea god Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
(Νεκρομαντεῖον Ποσειδῶνος). Under the Byzantine empire
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, the temple was converted into a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church, and Christian rites are conducted there to this day. Cape Matapan was once the place were mercenaries waited to be employed.
At Cape Matapan, the Titanic
SS Californian
SS Californian was a Leyland Line steamship that is best known for the controversy surrounding her location during the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912. The Californian was later sunk herself, in 1915, by U-34.-History:...
, was torpedoed and sunk by German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
forces in 1915. In March 1941, a major naval battle, the Battle of Cape Matapan
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
, occurred off the coast of Cape Matapan, between the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
, in which the British emerged victorious in a one-sided encounter. The Battle's main result was to drastically reduce future Italian naval activity in the Eastern Mediterranean.
More recently a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
was constructed but it is now in disuse.
As the southernmost point of the Balkan Peninsula, the cape is on the migration route of birds headed to Africa.