Kastelorizo
Information about the island of Kastellorizo Greece
Kastelorizo or Kastellorizo or Megisti .The main town and Port of Kastelorizo
or Kastellorizo is Pigadia that is connected with the small village Chorafia
There regular liner schedules connecting the island to Rhodes and Piraeus.
Ancient Monuments and sites of archaeological interest.
The Cyclopeian fortification walls at Limenari. Acheres: ten water reservoirs
constructed during the Ottoman rule underneath Palaeokastro, to collect
rainwater. The word has a root in the Ancient Greek language, meaning
"Still Water".
Places to visit:
The Fort at the Port, dominated the bombarded hill. It was build by the
Knights of St. John in the 14th Century, on the vestiges of an ancient
complex. The reddish rock upon which the fort was raised also gave its
name to the island (Castel Ross) which had up until then been referred
to as Megisti.
The fort was destroyed in 1788 by a Greek hero, Lambros Katsonis, as of
a surprise raid he waged against the Turks, forcing the latter to leave
the island. Kastelorizo was liberated. Still to be seen are the remains
of the outer wall and three towers. Next to this site there lie the ruins
of a Turkish bath complex and a windmill, restored at the expense and
with the care of the Greek Ministry of Culture in 1984.
Palaeokastro. By far the most important monument on the island, within
2 km distance from the port, in that it has remained intact ever since
the Byzantine era and that it was even totally spared by the interventionism
of the Knights of St. John. This is practically the reason of being of
the island as a whole, since most of the Neolithic era tools unearthed
in Kastelorizo were found here. Also to be seen are various ancient water
reservoirs and Byzantine constructions.
Monasteries and Churches :
The Church of Saints Constantine and Helena (built1835),- this is the
cathedral of Kastelorizo, an edifice evidently inspired by the gothic
tradition. Tradition has it that on this very site St. Helena herself
had had a first smaller church built after she was saved from a formidable
tempest on her way to the Holy Land in quest of the Cross. What is certain
is that the foundations of the actual constructions are laid into the
site of an early christian basilica. Its roof has been made to rest on
twelve monolithic granite pillars carried all the way to Kastelorizo from
the temple of Apollo at Patara (Lycia, in Asia Minor), on rafts. Meanwhile,
what once was the temple of Apollo at Patara has been converted into a
Christian church dedicated to St. Nicholas. .This is where on that saint's
day, many Greeks originating from Asia Minor and other places of the world
converge to attend a mass officiated by the very Patriarch of Constantinople
in person.
The twin-aisled church of Saints Demetrius and Nicholas, rightwards from
the remains of the fort at the port.
The Church of St. John-on-the-Mount (Aghios Ioannis tou Vounou)
The church of St. George-on-the-Mount (Aghios Gheorghios tou Vounou),
at 1 hour's walk. Visitors are expected to climb one after the other the
401 whitewashed steps leading from the fields up to a plain. A beaten
path then brings them to the fortified monastery of St. George, typical
for the paved terrace that surrounds it. The name - St. George-on-the-Mount
- has been chosen to differentiate from other churches dedicated to the
same Saint yet lying "in the Fields" or "at the Wells" (on the coast).
Behind the walls of the Monastery, worth visiting are the catacomb of
St. Charalambus. The monastery was built on a plan by Mastroyiogis, a
local architect, and was renovated in 1779.
Municipality: +30.22460.49269 & +30.22460.49232
Police Station: +30.22460.49333
Harbour Master's Office: +30.22460.49270
Infirmary: +30.22460.49267
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