The village of Kastri is located 21 kilometers northwest of Sparta. It is built at an altitude of 530 meters and has about 70 permanent residents. A glorious Byzantine church, the so-called metochi dominates the village of Kastri. It is of similar architecture with Agios Theodoros of Mystras. In the past it had two sanctuaries, dedicated the one to Virgin Mary and the second one to St. Basil, as they say. The temple was burned down by Muhammad II the Conqueror in 1460 and a mass has never taken place in it since then.
The old Primary School of the village now houses the Museum of Natural History, which was founded in 1998. The Museum includes a collection of coins, rocks, as well as a large number of exhibits from a wide selection of flora and fauna of the area.
At a higher altitude than Kastri, at a distance of 1.3 km, the abbey of Zoodochos Pigi dominates the area. Also, at the top of the mountain, at a place with a breathtaking view, one can visit the small church of John the Baptist, dedicated to the commemoration of his Beheading (August 29th).
Finally, every second Sunday of May, the village celebrates the local festival of Prinokokkas in memory of the heroic resistance of 400 Lacedaemonians, under the leadership of Prinokokkas, against Sultan Mohammed II the Conqueror with 80,000 janissaries in 1460.
