The Castle of Kythera is the most characteristic monument of the island. It is built on a large elevated rock in Chora of Kythera, facing south. It is kept in fairly good condition.

History

The castle was built in the 13th century by the Venetians. The Venetians took Kythera after the Latin conquest of 1204, in the division of the Greek territories by the Latins.

The first Venetian lord of the island was, from 1207, Marco Venier. The power of the Veniers was consolidated in 1238 when Marco's successor, Bartolomeo Venier, married the daughter of the Greek noble Eudaimonogiannis (from Monemvasia).
The island remained in the hands of the Venier house until 1279, when it was captured by knight Licario (who was a Lombard warlord in the service of Byzantium).
In 1308 the Veniers returned and regained control of the island. In 1310 the emperor Andronikos II made peace with the Venetians and officially recognized their jurisdiction over the islands of the South Aegean including Kythera. The Veniers remained the lords of the island but from 1325 there was also a military commander appointed by Venice with the title of Castellano.
At some point from the beginning of the 16th century, the administration of Kythera was upgraded and taken over by a Provveditore who was under the duke of Crete. After the completion of the conquest of Crete by the Ottomans, in 1669, Kythera was subject to Corfu.

Despite the existence of the Provveditori, it seems that much of the power remained in the hands of the Veniers (some of whom were also Provveditori, at times). This authority seems to have been particularly oppressive for the local population as there were several riots against the ruling class of the island. In 1530 the Senate of Venice stripped the Veniers of all their powers and the administration of Kythera passed directly to Venice.
The island remained under Venetian control until the dissolution of the Serenissima Republic of Venice in 1797 (with a short break of Ottoman occupation in 1715-1718). It then came under the control of the French, then the Russians and Turks, then again the French and finally, in 1809, the British.

The current form of the castle is a construction of the beginning of the 16th century. The castle was reconstructed in 1503 (again by the Venetians) and then the largest part and the facade of the castle were built.

Art & Logo

From the poem "Un Voyage à Cythère" by Charles Baudelaire

Quelle est cette île triste et noire? — C'est Cythère,
Nous dit-on, un pays fameux dans les chansons
Eldorado banal de tous les vieux garçons.
Regardez, après tout, c'est une pauvre terre.

Translation:

What is that sad, black island like a pall?
Why, Cytherea, famed in many a book,
The Eldorado of old-stagers. Look:
It's but a damned poor country after all!

Sources