Kastro (Castle) in Naxos

The Castle (Kastro) of Naxos, Cyclades: The Castle of Naxos Town along with the Tower of Glezos serves as a protective shield to the impregnable fortress of Sanoudos in Chora of Naxos, and was originally built under the supervision of Markos II Sanoudos (the Venetian conqueror after whom it was named), who came along with the establishment of Frank sovereignty in the Aegean in 1207.

The fortification adjoining the fortress is conspicuous by its pentagonal shape and has three gates. The Glezos tower popularly referred to as the Krispi stands like a sentinel in close proximity to the northwestern gate and certain parts of the tower extend to the western and northern side of the fortress. It consists of four floors and it is the only castle in Naxos with a round shape. The fortress circuit towers, particularly the Glezos tower is impeccably preserved even to this day. The entry to the tower is conspicuous by the customary coat-of-arms that once belonged to the Crispi family.

The tower was handed over to the Archaeological Service by Mr. Petros Glezos who believed that the tower would be well preserved by such a prestigious institution. Restoration work is still going on and the Archaeological Society intends to build a Museum. Upon successful completion of the work, it will become the foremost Byzantine Museum in the whole of Cyclades. The Glezos tower was restored in the period 1968-1969. In the year 1968, the tower underwent comprehensive restoration. In more recent times, from the year 1995 work on building the museum commenced and is an ongoing activity.

Things to see in Kastro:
Ursulines School and Merchant Academy
Venetian Museum
Archaeological Museum
Catholic Cathedral