Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Sights for destination: "KARDAMYLA Small town CHIOS".
Medieval fortification design for the purpose of defense. It comprised
the Acropolis of Kardamila. It is traditionally said that the Castle was named
after an old woman from Kardamila who dared to climb the mountain through the
brusque rocks in order to save herself from pirates. Today, two towers have been
saved, which unite the walls. The east tower is semicircular while the west tower
is spherical. The whole compound is situated upon the southern side of the wide,
flat terrain of the mountain. There are cliffs on all the other sides of the mountain;
therefore defensive walls were not necessary.
One version of the tradition states that the west tower was interconnected
to the Koulala well through a tunnel from which water was irrigated to those imprisoned.
The Koulala well was built from the stone in the area and dates back
to the Genoan period (1346-1566). The stone steps are tangent to its walls and
they descent to the foot of the mountain.
There are also bastions in the area, that is, the armed positions
for warriors from the Kardamilian Volunteer Force. These of course were utilized
during the freedom wars of 1912.
Mt. Grias played a significant role during the battle to free the
island. The Kardamilians were able to force the Turks outside their borders. They
took command of the hill by conquering political authorities, thereby reigning
in their victory in the “Battle of Grias”.
The Turks were forced to march to the village of Pityios
since they believed it was the only village on the island that was not within
range of the sea. The warship, “Makedonia”, however, had reached the
Kardamila port and bombed Pityios
with 67 cannon-balls, upon receiving signals from soldiers located on Grias, opposite
Karfoto. This attack was the determining factor in the war's end soon thereafter.
The battle from Makedonia delivered a serious blow to the Turks' morale since
they were forced to surrender on December 22, 1912 s a result of the front-line
attacks made by the Greek army.
Since then, Chios
came under Greek rule.
(text: Giannis Makridakis)
This text is cited December 2003 from the Prefecture
of Chios tourist pamphlet (2003).
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!