Cape Zonchio


Cape Zonchio is the name given by the Venetian cartographers to the cape north of Pylos on the western coast of Messenia on the Ionian Sea, in present-day Greece. Its Latin name was Coryphasium.

Geography

The headland that is Cape Zonchio, is just north of the island of Sphacteria, to the northwest of Navarino Bay. On the eastern side of Coryphasium is the Lagoon of Osman Aga. To the south is Sikia Channel, 220 feet wide and only 18 inches deep, separating Cape Zonchio from Sphacteria. To the west is the Ionian Sea, and to the north it is connected to the mainland by a sand spit on the eastern side of Voidokoilia Bay.

History

The Venetians had a fortress on the headland built upon an ancient Greek fortress, it is known as Palaiokastron. The naval Battle of Zonchio took place off of Cape Zonchio from 12 to 25 August 1499.