On a steep, rocky island tethered to the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese, the town of Monemvasia has stood since the 6th century. Its name—meaning 'single entrance'—reflected its defensible isolation, accessible only by a narrow tombolo. Overlooking the Myrtoan Sea, the town became a refuge after the disasters and invasions that plagued the late Roman and early Byzantine world. As old Sparta declined, its people sought safety in the natural fortress of Monemvasia, building a new town with the church of Christ Elkomenos at its center. By the 8th century, Monemvasia was a node in Mediterranean trade routes and a growing spiritual center. Despite pirate raids and Arab threats, it thrived through the Middle Byzantine era, its churches multiplying and its fortifications expanding. In 1147, it withstood a major Sicilian attack, asserting its strategic value as a western gate to the Aegean. By the 13th century, the city was prominent enough to attract the attention of the Latin crusaders. Though it fell to the Frankish prince William of Villehardouin in 1252, it returned to Byzantine hands a decade later, becoming a provincial stronghold with tax privileges and its own archbishop. As the Byzantine Empire waned, Monemvasia continued to prosper through commerce and religious influence, only interrupted by sporadic raids and internal disputes. It was among the last Greek holdouts against Ottoman expansion, offering itself to Pope Pius II in 1460 after resisting both Ottoman and Venetian control. Venice eventually took the city in 1463, holding it until the Ottomans claimed it again in 1540. Throughout these transitions, many of the town’s inhabitants fled or relocated, while those who remained adapted to new rulers, maintaining trade and Orthodox traditions under changing flags. The city’s rugged terrain protected its medieval architecture, even as its strategic relevance waned. During the Greek War of Independence, Monemvasia was besieged and captured in 1821. Yet rivalries among Greek factions prevented it from playing a larger role in the new Greek state. Its population dwindled, and the old town emptied, its houses crumbling into the cliffs. In the 20th century, with the population shifting to nearby Gefyra and the fortress falling silent, Monemvasia nearly vanished from modern relevance. Water arrived in 1964, electricity in 1972. But starting in the 1970s, a slow revival began. Restorers and new residents transformed the old houses into inns and homes. Tourists returned, drawn by the island's preserved churches, stone alleys, and cliffside views. Each year on July 23, the town commemorates its role in the War of Independence with a fiery celebration, echoing the legacy of a place shaped by survival, seafaring, and stone.