The Castle of Chora, from the Byzantines to the Genoese
The place where the castle is located has been inhabited since the prehistoric times. The location where the Castle of Chora was chosen to be built, on the steep and rocky hill, offered security and good supervision of the surrounding area. The Genoese lord of the island Palamede Gattilusio built new towers and walls between the years 1431-1433 and undertook the repair of the oldest fortification of the 10th century A.D. The concession of islands and territories by the Byzantine emperors to the Genoese was made in exchange for their help and support or given as a dowry. The Genoese in turn had the administrative control of the islands and the obligation to strengthen the defense and fortifications of their region.
The castle has an area of 1,880 sq.m., with internal and external fortifications for greater security. The entrance to the castle is at the east, between the circular and the rectangular tower. The rectangular was built in 1433, it has three floors with a height of 11.30 m. and places for archers. The circular one, with a height of 12 m., was built later, with masonry and brick belts, it is adjacent to the external fortification with embankment inside. A rectangular tower in the inner fortification is preserved at a height of 13 m and was built in 1431. For its construction, ancient architectural material was used.
Behind the castle, on its SW side, the settlement developed.
Of particular importance, for the information they save, are the two inscriptions that are built into the wall in very good condition. The first one, built into the rectangular tower of the inner fortification, bears the coat of arms in a horizontal arrangement, the eagle and the scaly coat of arms of the Gatelouzis’ in combination with the 4B of the Palaeologans at the top and the four-cornered sign of the Palaeologans on the right.
The second inscription, dating back to 1433, is located in the outer precinct, on the rectangular tower. It bears an inscription reading that this tower was built by the ruler of Ainos Palamede Gattilusio. Between the two frames of the inscriptions are a crowned eagle, a variation of the family scaly coat of arms of the Gatelouzes with the coat of arms of the Palaeologans and the 4B at the top, the double-headed eagle of Byzantium and the four-letter complex of the Palaeologans. The combination of the symbols and the coats of arms of the two families is interpreted and symbolizes the sovereignty of the region and the kinship between them.
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