KASTRO
The largest and best preserved kastro of the Cyclades.
This is the largest and best-preserved kastro (Κάστρο) in the Cyclades. It was built in the 13th century after the island's conquest in 1205 by Marco Sanudo (1153-1227) on the site of the capital's ancient acropolis. Part of the Byzantine walls remain, while the marble of the Temple of Apollo was used in the construction of other buildings, including the Catholic Cathedral. Measuring 600 meters in circumference, it was once defended by several towers, but only the Glezos tower, now housing the Byzantine Museum, remains. The kastro remains the city's Catholic quarter. Several religious orders settled here from the 16th century onwards: Capuchin and Observantine Franciscans, Jesuits, Ursulines and others. Coming mainly from France and Italy, these religious orders managed the Church's rich heritage in the Cyclades, inherited from the Duchy of Naxos and the Crusader orders and, above all, not to leave the field open to the Greek Orthodox Church, to which the Ottomans had entrusted broad powers. Although they all acted in the name of the Pope, these orders had a bad relationship with each other, sometimes serving the interests of Venice, France or even the Ottomans, and sometimes mediating with Catholic privateers threatening the island. From the 17th century onwards, the Jesuits of Naxos became the main relay for French diplomacy throughout the Levant. This presence lasted well into the second half of the 20th century, well after Greek independence in 1830.
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