Beldevere castle

The Beldevere castle, known in its day as Rizokastro, was raised by the Byzantines around the tenth century on the isolated hill of Kastellos, a height approachable only from the south. It commanded the western edge of the Messara plain, and its builders recycled stone from the ancient town of Priansos, which once stood on the same spot. The Genoese pirate Enrico Pescatore, briefly ruler of Crete, patched it up between 1206 and 1210. The Venetians later renamed it Belvedere for its sweeping views, and added water tanks, barracks and administrative quarters for the local Castellany, which covered the provinces of Viannos and Monofatsi. During Crete's early Venetian years, the fortress served as a refuge for the occupiers whenever the islanders rose in revolt, and settlements gradually formed around it, becoming the village of Castelliana. Once the rebellions ceased, the fort lost its purpose and fell into ruin. Of its six churches, five survive only as traces; the church of the Assumption remains in use, and beside it lies the cave of Arapis, where locals once hid from danger.

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