Qualla: Castle of Saint Andrew

Castle of Saint Andrew: Introduction

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Antonio Paravia, died in the late 18th century, Public domain. The Venetians demolished the Castle of Bouka in 1701 rather than hand it back to the Ottomans intact. The Ottomans responded by building a new fortress 800 meters to the north — at a spot the Venetians themselves recorded in their sources as Sto Chiparissi, Greek for 'at the cypress tree.' The Castle of Saint Andrew began as a fresh start and accumulated its history from there: Ottoman construction, Venetian capture and renovation, French interlude, conquest by Ali Pasha of Yannina, and a long decline through Greek independence and the 20th century. It has had more names than most fortresses.

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Image: Antonio Paravia, died in the late 18th century | Public domain

Castle of Saint Andrew: Names and Beginnings

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nikos D. Karabelas, CC BY-SA 3.0. The castle was known in Ottoman times by a Turkish designation, and also as 'Castle of the Plane Tree' — Φρούριο του Πλατάνου — and 'Castle of the Roots' — Ριζόκαστρο. It acquired its present name from a church dedicated to Saint Andrew that the Venetians built inside its walls w...

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Image: Nikos D. Karabelas | CC BY-SA 3.0

Castle of Saint Andrew: From Mosque to Church and Back

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nikos D. Karabelas, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Venetians under Pisani took the castle without much difficulty in 1717; the Ottoman defenders apparently put up limited resistance against a force that arrived by sea. Once inside, the Venetians widened the moat, strengthened the defenses, and converted the garrison mosque in...

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Image: Nikos D. Karabelas | CC BY-SA 3.0

Castle of Saint Andrew: Ali Pasha's Reconstruction

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The postcard was published by Romaides brothers & Zeitz in 1913., Public domain. Between 1807 and 1808, Ali Pasha undertook a thorough refortification of Preveza. He built a city wall, founded several new fortresses including St. George's Castle, and gave the Castle of Saint Andrew the form it still holds today. The most significant addition was a second, sma...

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Image: The postcard was published by Romaides brothers & Zeitz in 1913. | Public domain

Castle of Saint Andrew: What Stands Now

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The postcard was published by Pallis & Cie in 1912., Public domain. The outer wall that Ali Pasha built was gradually demolished during the 20th century. The Greek army used the castle interior as a base for several decades, and in the process all of the original interior structures disappeared. What remains is the shell of the main castle — wall...

Read more: Castle of Saint Andrew on Qualla

Image: The postcard was published by Pallis & Cie in 1912. | Public domain