Kythira
Greek island at the crossroads of Mediterranean trade and conquest.
Kythira (also transliterated as Cythera, Kythera, and Kithira) is a Greek island located opposite the southeastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. Traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands, it is strategically positioned between the Greek mainland and Crete, serving from ancient times until the mid-19th century as a crossroads for merchants, sailors, and conquerors. Its long and varied history has been influenced by many civilizations, reflected in its architecture—a blend of traditional, Aegean, and Venetian elements—and in traditions shaped by centuries of coexistence between Greek and Venetian cultures.
- Location
- Greece, opposite the southeastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula
- Area (municipality)
- 300.023 km²
- Area (municipal unit)
- 279.593 km²
- Traditional classification
- One of the seven main Ionian Islands
- Administrative region
- Attica region, Islands regional unit
- Notable feature
- Strategic location between Greek mainland and Crete
Lore & Background
Kythira has archaeological remains from the Helladic period, contemporary with the Minoans, and evidence of trade reaching as far as Egypt and Mesopotamia. In the early archaic age, it had a Phoenician colony; the sea-snail producing Tyrian purple is native to the island. The archaic Greek city of Kythira was at Scandea on Avlemonas, with its acropolis, Palicastro, housing the temple of Aphrodite Ourania, possibly representing a Phoenician cult of Astarte. In classical times, Sparta took the island from Argos early in the sixth century BC, ruling it under a kytherodíkes. Athens occupied it twice during wars with Sparta (in 424 BC and 393 BC), using it to support trade and raid Laconia. Kythira became independent and issued its own coins after the Achaean defeat of Sparta in 192 BC, but under Augustus it was again subject to Sparta, owned by Gaius Julius Eurycles. Christianity is attested from the fourth century AD.
Reader's Guide
Kythira's significance lies in its enduring role as a strategic maritime hub. From ancient times through the mid-19th century, it was a crossroads for merchants, sailors, and conquerors, influencing its architecture and customs. The island was abandoned around 700 AD, but resettled after the Byzantine reconquest of Crete in 962 when Saint Theodore of Cythera established a monastery at Paliochora. During the Fourth Crusade, the Republic of Venice took Kythira, holding it despite Greek reconquest and Turkish presence, and named it Cerigo. Barbary pirates used the island as a base in the 17th century. After Napoleon ended the Venetian Republic in 1797, Kythira became part of the French department Mer-Égée, then the Septinsular Republic under Ottoman suzerainty and Russian dominance, then French again, and finally British as part of the United States of the Ionian Islands. In 1859, William Ewart Gladstone served as High Commissioner for three weeks. The British ceded the Ionian Islands, including Kythira, to King George I of Greece. The chief town, Kythira (or Chora), houses the Historical Archives of Kythira, the second largest in the Ionian islands after Corfu. The island is highly prone to earthquakes, with major quakes in 1903, 2004, and 2006.
Did You Know?
- Kythira was known as Cerigo under Venetian domination.
- The island was abandoned around 700 AD and resettled after the Byzantine reconquest of Crete in 962.
- Kythira's temple of Aphrodite Ourania may represent a Phoenician cult of Astarte.
- The Historical Archives of Kythira are the second largest in the Ionian islands, after Corfu.
More in Territories of the Republic of Venice 1-24
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