Kasteli of Kissamos

The Kastelli of Kissamos began life in the early 13th century, when the Genoese pirate Henry Pescatore raised a fort on the site of ancient Kissamos. It was one of fifteen such strongholds built by the Genoese after 1204, and when the Venetians expelled Pescatore, they took it over, restored it, and made it the region’s defensive military centre. Its plan was an asymmetrical pentagon, and like other Venetian forts it contained quarters, prisons, churches and a well. The fortress saw repeated trouble: rebels failed to take it in 1262, the Venetians destroyed the surrounding bourg during the revolts of 1333 and 1341, and Barbarossa wrecked the fort itself in 1538, though it was repaired by 1554. An earthquake levelled it in 1595, and it was rebuilt in 1635. The Turks captured it in 1646 after the commander’s betrayal, and held it through various uprisings, including the 1821 revolution, when Greeks briefly raised their flag. Today, only remnants survive, mostly from Turkish-era buildings.

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