Grand Mainι Castle or Tigani Castle
The castle is located on the Tigani peninsula in the bay of Mesapou. (Tigani is a narrow, rocky strip of land into the sea, 1,700 meters long, and has the shape of a frying pan). It is a small Byzantine town completely ruined. The castle was probably built during the Justinian times, in the 6th century, and is the oldest castle in Mani. It evolved to a large military and religious centre and was abandoned during the 7th century as no later fortifications and building elements have survived.
The castle is widely known by the name "Maini castle" because it is identified by many as the historic Frankish castle of Grand Maini (Grande Magne). According to Moreau's Chronicle, the Great Maini was built in 1248 by Villehardouin at an unknown location today, somewhere on the west side of Mani, on a rock, dominating a large harbour.
Today, castle tanks and parts of walls are preserved, such as the half-collapsed Medieval wall with a tower to the west, the ancient wall with Cyclopean walls to the southwest and the section with Justinian features to the east. Finally, the castle is accessible from the village of Agia Kyriaki.