Skyros Castle

The citadel of Skyros lies at the top of a 179m steep rock overlooking the Chora of Skyros and the Aegean Sea. It is inextricably linked to the history of the island since some of the most important historical events of the island have taken place there.

The citadel is divided into two levels: on the first level stands the Monastery of Agios Georgios (963 AD) with a surviving part of the fortification while on the second level are the restored Church of Episkopi (895 AD), medieval water tanks, ruins of various buildings as well as an important part of the fortification, mainly from the medieval period. The glorious Monastery of Agios Georgios, was founded in the 10th century by Nikiforos Fokas, was completely renovated between 1599-1602 and is dependency of the Monastery of Megisti Lavra of Mount Athos. The monastery has notable hagiographies that can be seen perched from the rocky mountains under the walls.

In the area where the citadel is, there has been continuous habitation from prehistoric times until the beginning of the 20th century. During the prehistoric period it was probably the only inhabited place and the seat of the political and ecclesiastical authorities of the island. The ruins of the castle that are still preserved, date from the Byzantine period. The citadel is not as well preserved as other citadels in the Aegean, maybe because it was not so important for the Venetians and the Turks who held it for centuries. So they never made any serious reconstruction works.

Venetians and Turks did not pay much attention to the well-being and the protection of the people of Skyros, but the old Byzantine castle was always the last refuge against Saracens and other pirates who plagued the Aegean since the 9th century and for almost 1000 years.Over the main entrance, there is a marble lion embedded in the wall. This is a piece from the ancient acropolis which was added by the Byzantine lord who built the tower of the entrance.

Remains of four semicircular towers are preserved on the outer wall: "Agios Nikolaos" and "Agia Paraskevi" on the east side, "Paliopyrgos" on the north side and "Pergos" on the west. In the middle of the Castle, at the highest point, there is an intact building, without a gate and windows, so-called the "dark prison". It is probably a tank as evidenced by the clay pipes on one of the walls.The castle was abandoned by its inhabitants after the end of the Greek Revolution. The last permanent resident of the castle was the bishop of Skyros, Grigorios who died in 1827.