Souda Fortress

Souda is a small island that keeps watch at the mouth of the gulf bearing its name, a position reflected in its Latin-derived title, from sudes, meaning "narrow pass". A fortress existed here as early as the 14th century, but the present Venetian castle dates from 1573, built under the supervision of Latino Orsini, military commander in Crete, to guard the port and control the gulf's entrance. Work was swift; cannons were in place within a year. The central temple, completed in 1585 and served by Augustinian monks from a pre-existing monastery, survives well today. When the Turks took Chania in 1646, the fort's few defenders held out, and the island remained Venetian even after Heraklion fell in 1669, only surrendering on 27 September 1715 after a 72-day siege. The Turks then converted the church into a mosque, and held the islet until 1898. The fortifications, including the Martinengo and Michiel bastions, the Orsino bastion, and the semicircular Mezzaluna at the southern tip, were admired for their ingenious use of the island's shape. In 1630, the armament comprised 44 guns and 9,185 balls. The Greek flag was first raised here on 1 February 1913, and the islet, long a naval base, finally opened to visitors twice weekly in spring 2007.

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