KASTRO
The largest and best preserved kastro of the Cyclades.
It is the largest and best preserved kastro in the Cyclades. It was erected in the 13th century after the conquest of the island in 1205 by Marco Sanudo (1153-1227) on the site of the ancient acropolis of the capital. Part of the walls from the Byzantine period remains, while the marble from the Temple of Apollo was used in the construction of several buildings, including the Catholic Cathedral. Measuring 600 metres in circumference, it was once defended by several towers, but only the Glezos Tower, now home to the Byzantine Museum, remains. The kastro remains the Catholic quarter of the city. Several religious orders settled here from the 16th century: Capuchin Franciscans and Observantines, Jesuits, Ursulines, etc. Coming mainly from France and Italy, these religious orders managed the rich heritage of the Church in the Cyclades, inherited from the Duchy of Naxos and the Crusader orders and, above all, did not leave the field open to the Greek Orthodox Church, to which the Ottomans entrusted wide powers. Although they all act in the name of the Pope, these orders maintain bad relations with each other, sometimes serving the interests of Venice, France or even the Ottomans and mediating with the Catholic privateers threatening the island. From the 17th century, the Jesuits of Naxos will thus constitute the main relay of French diplomacy for the whole of the Levant. This presence will last until the second half of the 20th century, well after the independence of Greece in 1830.
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