It is situated in a mound of 70m above the coastal settlement of Xirokambos and it constitutes the most ancient castle on the island. The wall in the northeast part of the hill is cyclopean and constructed by squared boulders that weight approximately half ton each. According to archaeologists, at the same place, there was an archaic acropolis that dates back to 2,500 BC. Its ruins can hardly be discerned, as they were reused for the reinforcement of the fortification during the classical, the Hellenistic, as well as the Roman times. In the early Christian period, at the hilltop, a big basilica was built. Nowadays, it is replaced by an arched chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In its precinct, there are fragments of the earlier temple’s mosaic that are in a poor condition.
Leros Paleokastro
