Greece · 7th century
Castle of Kythnos ranks #8,861 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #116 of the 133 mapped in Greece. Founded c. 650, it is older than 96% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 39 atlas entries founded in the 7th century. The nearest day-trip guide is Athens, 83 km away. See how Greece compares in the castle statistics.
The Castle of Oria, or the Castle of Katakefalos, is located in the northern part of the island, near Chora (Kythnos). It was the island's medieval capital during the period from the 7th century AD until the 16th century. According to local tradition, the castle was sacked by raiders, something which is however not substantiated by historical sources. The content of the relevant local traditions echoes the beliefs of older legends, scattered throughout the Greek lands.
The population of the Castle of Oria did not exceed 500 people in the period of its heyday. It is known by various names (for example, Castle of Katakefalos, Palaiokastro, Castle of Oria or of Orgia).
The material with which the castle had been built was unworked stone, and it was used as a defensive wall against invaders.
Machine-translated from “Κάστρο της Ωριάς Κύθνου” on the Greek Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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