The name of Palaiokastritsa (old castle) points the existence of an old castle which according to sources was probably built on the area where the men’s Monastery of Theotokos –Virgin Mary now stands. The Monastery was built in 1228, as it is engraved on the church gate even though the rest of the edifices date back to the 18th century. It is considered as a great sample of monastic architecture with typical Ionian additions as the bell –tower. In the interior, a small museum with Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, holy books and religious items, is open to the public.
In the position of the Monastery, the Aggelokastro is clearly visible. The “Angelokastro” or “The castle of the Angel” or “Castle of Angelos” is one of the most significant Byzantine castles in Greece and one of the oldest as it was already there since the 7th century. It is westerner bastion of the Byzantine Empire and of the Domain of Epirus where Corfu belonged until the middle of the 13th century. The name of the castle probably derived from Michael I Komnenos Doukas, Despot of Epirus who sometimes was called “Michael Angelos”. It is impressive the fact that Angelokastro was the capital of Corfu from 1387 to the late 16th c., because of the fortification needs of those times.
From Mythological aspect, the rocky hill “Kolovri” which stands in the sea, is Odysseus ‘ship turned to rock by god Poseidon, during his return to Ithaca. Moreover, in accordance with the Geography of Odyssey, the bay of Palaiokastritsa was the place where Odysseus disembarked and met Nausica for the first time.
