A beuatiful and relatively well maintained Byzantine castle at the NW side of Chios island, on a hill above the village of Volissos.

Location & Strategic Scope

The location has viual contact with most of the NW coastline and the viglas in the region. Obviously, it was the center of the defense in this part of the island.

History

According to the tradition, the castle was built by general Velisarius in the 6th century AD. There is no proof for that, although it is very possible that a castle was built there during the reign of Emperor Justinian.

The fact is that in the 11th century there was already a castle on the hill. It is mentioned in Alexias, the history by Anna Komnene.

In the 15th century the castle was rebuilt by the Genoans and took its final form.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The layout of the castle is a trapezium. The construction material came from a local ore rich in copper, which gives a strange dark appearance to the castle

There are six cylindrical towers in the perimeter. The towers and the walls are still standing but not in a good condition.