Kelefa is a castle and village in Mani

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....

. It is part of the municipal unit of Oitylo

Oitylo

Oitylo is a village and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. It is one of the oldest towns in the Mani Peninsula. It was mentioned in the Iliad by Homer as Oetylοs ,...

.

History

Kelefa was built by the Ottomans to contain the Inner Mani in 1670. 15 years later in 1685, the Maniots

Maniots

The Maniots or Maniates are the Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula located in the southern Peloponnese in the Greek prefecture of Laconia and prefecture of Messinia. They were also formerly known as Mainotes and the peninsula as Maina. The Maniots are the direct descendants of the Spartans...

 besieged the castle. They sent messengers to Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 so the Doge

Doge of Venice

The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...

 could send a fleet to help them capture the castle. The Venetians were currently at war with the Ottomans so they agreed and sent a fleet under Francesco Morosini

Francesco Morosini

Francesco Morosini was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War...

. As soon the fleets bearing the symbol of St Mark the Ottoman garrison surrendered. A year later the Ottomans returned with a strong force and laid siege to the castle. Just as the wall was breached the banner of St Mark appeared and the Ottomans were driven back. 30 years later Ottomans returned and captured the castle. Around 1780 the Ottomans were driven out for good. After that the castle became uninhabited. Now Kelefa is a small village.

Geography and information

• Postal code: 232 00
• Elevation:
  • Centre: about 240 m
• Dialing code: 030-27330

Historical population

Year	Population
1981	94
1991	114
2001	59

See also

• List of communities of Laconia