In Kato Chora of Milopotamos, which is of greater historical importance than the rest of the village, the first building you see as you reach the central square is the old abandoned school. Just beside it is the gate to the castle of Kato Chora, decorated with symbols of the -powerful at the time- Venetian Empire, such as the winged lion emblem of St. Mark and indicates the castle’s construction date in1565. The Venetian castle is built in a strategic position between the hills and slopes, looking towards the Ionian Sea on the west coast of the island and for that reason the sunset view is spectacular. According to sources, the castle was inhabited by 50 families of Venetian soldiers who were responsible for defending the fortress against pirates.
Inside one can easily see the layout of the two-storey houses as well as a large number of Byzantine churches filled with murals. These churches are: Panaghia Mesosporitissa, Prophitis Elias, Agios Athanasios, Agios Ioannis the Theologian, Agioi Anargyroi, Agios Nikolaos, Agioi Pantes, Agios Ioannis the Baptist and Agios Dimitrios. Looking out the castle at the village you’ll notice that the houses’ construction is too dense, marking the residents’ precautionary measures at the time of pirates raids which also resulted to the construction of such fortresses.
