Monolithos Castle

Monolithos Castle

Outside the village is the medieval Castle, built on top of a 100m rock. This castle was built in 1480 by the Knights of Saint John to protect the island from attacks. In fact, this castle was never conquered. The Castle of Monolithos is widely ruined today but it offers great views of the sea and the two islets opposite to it. Inside the Castle, there is a small working chapel dedicated to Agios Panteleimon (Saint Pantaleon). Access to the castle is by a staircase cut into the rock. The steps, whilst not particularly steep, are quite slippery simply due to the numbers of visitors wearing them away. On the climb up to the top, you are likely to see hundreds, if not thousands, of small piles of rocks from 3-10 in number. These piles are left there by the visitors as a form of a memento.

It was such a beautiful place to be. We also created our own pile of rock there, you bond even more through that, it sounds silly but it really does something with you. We enjoyed the amazing few up there so much. You don't have to say anything, just look and let your thoughts wander.