Angelokastro

Angelokastro occupies a dizzying position on Corfu’s north-west coast, perched 305 metres up a sheer cliff above the sea near Palaiokastritsa. It is among Greece’s oldest and most significant Byzantine fortresses, with excavations in 1997 uncovering Early Christian slabs that suggest occupation from the 5th to 7th century. The name likely honours Michael I Komnenos Doukas, Despot of Epirus, whose son Michael II strengthened the site after 1214, linking it to the Komnenoi imperial dynasty. Before Venetian rule, it formed part of a trio of island defences alongside Cassiopi and Gardiki. Under the Venetians (1386-1797) it became Corfu’s capital and later the seat of the Proweditore Generale del Levante. It helped repel Ottoman sieges in 1537, 1571 and 1716, then fell into disuse and was deserted in the 19th century, before restoration in 1999. Surviving features include a citadel with circular tower, garrison ruins, three cisterns, and the little Church of the Archangel Michael, whose 18th-century frescoes postdate the original early Christian structure.

Heritage data from Wikidata, compiled and verified in the Atika atlas.