Palaiokastro ( el, Παλαιόκαστρο, , "old castle") is a
castle built in the eastern part of the Aegean island of
Ios
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
, 17 km from
Chora. Today, the ruins left are parts of the walls and ruins of its internal buildings. Inside the walls there is now the small Church of Panagia Paleokastritsa.
The castle was built in 1397 by the
Duke of Naxos
The Duchy of the Archipelago ( el, Δουκάτο του Αρχιπελάγους, it, Ducato dell'arcipelago), also known as Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean, was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago ...
,
Francesco I Crispo
Francesco I Crispo, Patrizio Veneto (died 1397) was the tenth Duke of the Archipelago through his marriage and the will of Venice.
Francesco Crispo was probably born in Verona. He was Lord of Milos, thus a vassal to the Duke of Naxos, as well as ...
, based on an older
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
castle that existed in the area. The structure lies on the top of a hill at an altitude of 275 m.
References
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Buildings and structures completed in 1397
Ruined castles in Greece
Crusader castles in Greece
Ios
Buildings and structures in the South Aegean
Duchy of the Archipelago
Venetian archaeological sites in Greece