Volissos Castle: A Medieval Fortress on Chios, Greece
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Greece
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Byzantine, Genoese
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Volissos Castle is a medieval fortress on Chios, Greece, incorporating the remains of an earlier Byzantine fortification. Local tradition attributes its original foundation to Belisarius, the Byzantine general who served Emperor Justinian I during the sixth century. Construction under Justinian is possible, but secure evidence for the castle’s existence does not extend earlier than the eleventh century. The Byzantine Empire was the eastern continuation of the Roman Empire, centered on Constantinople until 1453.
Byzantine origins
The fortress is mentioned in 1148 by Anna Komnene in the Alexiad, her historical account of the reign and military campaigns of her father, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Its position above northwestern Chios gave it a defensive role within the island’s wider system of fortified observation.
Genoese reorganization
After Chios came under the control of the Genoese Maona during the fifteenth century, the castle was reorganized and acquired much of its present form. The Maona was a Genoese maritime and commercial organization that administered Chios during the late medieval period. The fortress became an important defensive position for this part of the island.
The rebuilding occurred in two principal phases. The first took place in the middle of the fifteenth century, amid renewed Turkish threats after the fall of Constantinople. The second came at the beginning of the sixteenth century, as part of a broader fortification project on Chios. Volissos Castle formed the center of a chain of watchtowers along the shores of northwestern Chios and was linked with the coast by a tunnel.
Ottoman period and later condition
During the Ottoman period, the fortress was partly dismantled and used as a quarry for building material. Ottoman rule refers here to the era when the Ottoman Empire controlled much of southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Reuse of the castle’s materials contributed to the destruction of its northern side and left the walls and towers only partly intact.
In recent years, sections of the castle have been restored and nighttime lighting has been installed. Most of the fortress remains abandoned, preserving a complex physical record of its Byzantine origins, Genoese rebuilding, and Ottoman alteration.
Remains
Layout and masonry
The fortress stands directly on bedrock at the summit of a hill above Volissos, approximately 230 metres above sea level. Its position overlooks the settlement below and the northwestern part of Chios. The castle covers about 65 by 70 metres and follows an irregular five-sided polygonal plan, with its projecting point directed toward the sea.
Local stone rich in copper minerals forms the masonry and gives the walls a characteristic dark colour. Rubble and small stones fill the spaces within the stonework, reinforcing the construction. The northern flank is completely ruined, while sections of the eastern and western sides survive.
Walls, towers, and entrances
Seven towers connected by curtain walls defended the perimeter. A curtain wall is a defensive wall joining towers or other fortified structures. One of the towers has a horseshoe-shaped plan, while the others are round. Except for one tower that is almost entirely destroyed, the surviving towers and walls are the best-preserved parts of the fortress and rise approximately 6 to 7 metres above the ground.
The original entrance was placed in the eastern wall. Its gateway was about 3 metres high and 1.20 metres wide, but it is now partly collapsed and blocked by stones from the adjoining tower. A secondary defensive wall, known as a proteichisma, once surrounded the castle a few metres beyond the main walls. Only about 1 metre of this outer fortification survives, and it is in very poor condition.
Interior structures
Inside the enclosure are the ruins of several buildings and installations, including cisterns, a church, and barracks for the garrison. These remains occupy the interior of the hilltop fortress alongside the surviving defensive walls and towers.
