Castle of Agia Mavra, Lefkas: A floating castle town

It owes its name to the small church of Saint Mavra that once stood within its walls. It is believed that a smaller fortress had originally been built on the same site in the early 14th century, attributed to the Frankish ruler of the island, John Orsini.

The originally small fortification, which controlled the passage from mainland Greece to the island of Lefkas, became the object of heated rivalries by all kinds of conquerors, passing successively into the hands of the Angevins, the French, the Ottomans, the Venetians, the Russo-Turks and the British. Suffice it to say that during its seven centuries of life the castle has been under siege no less than twelve times.

The most extensive interventions were made during the Ottoman rule (1479-1684 and 1715-1716), during which the castle was reinforced with nine bastions and a moat, giving it an irregular heptagonal plan. A model of coastal fortification of the time, this ‘floating’ castle-town occupied 25,000 m2 and was for many years the capital of the island, with the settlement expanding outside the walls. 

In 1684, the castle was recaptured by the Venetians, who modernized it through the addition of two bastions and other fortification works. In 1797, it was occupied by the French and later, in 1810, by the British, who also upgraded its facilities.

The museum that was inaugurated in 2024 within the bastions at the northeastern edge of the castle, houses an intriguing exhibition of the castle’s history through the ages complete with multimedia aids, alongside finds such as coins, everyday objects and other artifacts. These are divided into small themed sections, depending on whether they relate to fortification architecture, religious belief, monasticism and more recent historical memory.

The restored Venetian gunpowder magazine from 1719 has been converted into a screening room where visitors can gain a clear and vivid understanding of the castle’s evolution. The small, latter-day church of Saint Mavra, patron saint of Lefkas, occupies a special location within the castle, dating back to 1888.