The hill of the medieval Castle of Parikia is essentially the core of the most important city of Paros from antiquity (4th millennium BC) until today. The Castle was built by the Venetian Duke of Naxos Sanudos in the 13th century. Architectural members of ancient sanctuaries were used for its reconstruction. Thus, in the Castle, the members from three temples of the archaic period and two of the classical period are embedded. Of them, only a small part of the archaic temple of Athena (6th BC century) on the top of the hill survives. Next to the foundations of the temple, ruins of the Proto-Cycladic settlement were discovered.
In the Castle there are small churches, many of them integrated into the walls, such as the Virgin Mary of the Cross (1514), Agia Anna, Agios Markos, Agios Stylianos and the architecturally masterpiece church of Agios Konstantinos. Reaching the top of the hill, you will be enchanted by the amazing view towards the sea.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou