Castle

Santorini had five castles (kastelia), one of them in Pyrgos. Although its buildings suffered a lot of damage in the 1956 earthquake, they are in fairly good condition today. The square at the entrance to the castle, which is called Kasteli, was called Plateia Ypsilou Kafene, or Square of High Cafés. The aristocrats of the village gathered here to discuss things. The castle’s entrance gate, which was called Kasteloporta (meaning “Castle Door”) was here. Part of it also formed the building that houses today's Café Art Gallery 1663. Within the castle, two very important churches are noteworthy: the church of Theotokaki or the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (Kimisis tis Theotoku), one of the oldest churches in Santorini, which is believed to have been built in the 10th century, and the church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (Eisodia tis Theotoku, 1660 - 1661), at the highest point of Kasteli, next to the ecclesiastical museum.