Just before the mountain pass of Kastania, the point where Mount Oligyrtos and Mount Ziria "embrace" and separate the Stymphalia valley from the Feneos plateau, stands the pure white, full-body statue of the Kastania-born chieftain of 1821, Georgios Nikas, known as Papanikas. This statue was sculpted in 1960 by the renowned artist Theodoros Vasileiou and was placed at its current location in the same year, during a grand ceremony organized by the local authorities.

Georgios Papanikas, a native of Kastania, was a deeply respected figure with significant influence among the people of mountainous Corinthia during the Greek War of Independence. He took part in both the first and second sieges of Acrocorinth, where he supplied the besiegers at his own expense, the battle against Mahmud Dramali at Dervenakia, and the fight against Ibrahim's Egyptian army at Kafkaria, Kalavryta (August 27, 1827). He also fought in Eastern Sterea towards the end of the Revolution. For his contributions to the struggle, he was honored with the rank of chiliarch (commander of a thousand men). He passed away in his beloved Kastania in 1834.

Today, from his vantage point, his statue gazes alongside every pilgrim who reaches this site, overlooking the plain of Stymphalia and the cherished peaks of Oligyrtos and the other mountains of Arcadia.