Tower

An abandoned 13th-century tower, with sides 3-3.5 meters and a height that originally reached three floors. It is a phryctoria, i.e., a tower used for transmitting messages and alarms, possibly part of a network of protection against raids during the Byzantine or Venetian rule on the island. It is speculated that signals were given from there by fire to Agios Georgios on the mountain for impending dangers. It is located within a forest of holm oaks, in an area that was formerly cultivated land. Nearby we find the church of Agia Varvara, probably within a fortress enclosure that is now lost. This phryctoria is the only surviving such monument in Kythira and attests to the historical importance of the area for defense and communication.