Castle of Pythagoreion – Tower of Lykourgos Logothetis

The Castle of Pythagoreio was a Byzantine fortress built on the site of Samos’s ancient acropolis at the end of the 7th century. Square in plan and reinforced with circular and square towers, it had a gate on the east side. Despite the interventions and repairs carried out by the Byzantines up to the 11th century, its original form did not change significantly. The castle was abandoned in 1475, when Samos submitted to the Ottomans. The modern history of Pythagoreio Castle is inextricably linked with Lykourgos Logothetis, leader of revolutionary Samos, who undertook to fortify the hill anew and built the Tower of Lykourgos Logothetis, which served as the Samians’ headquarters during the 1821 Revolution. Next to the tower stands the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, dedicated to the victory over the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Mykale in 1824. Today the site is open to visitors, and a museum operates with exhibits that highlight Samos’s historical course.