Kasteli tou Pyrgou

Kasteli tou Pyrgou is the youngest of Santorini’s castles, raised around 1580 by the Venetians. A tower originally crowned the summit, but it was later pulled down and replaced by the Monastery of St Georgios. The houses themselves formed the fortified perimeter, with a single gateway, the Porta, above which once projected a square structure with an opening for pouring burning oil on attackers; this device is gone. Beneath the settlement ran a network of underground passages, intended as shelter or escape if the castle fell. When Skaros was abandoned, Pyrgos became the island’s capital. Near the entrance stands the church of Agia Theodosia, while within the walls, on the west side, is the Theotokaki, or Assumption church, thought to date from the 10th century. At the highest point, the Church of Eisodion of Theotokou, built in 1660-1661, hosts the principal Good Friday Lamentations service. The modern town outside the walls was once called Exoporta, meaning “Outside Door.”