Duchy of Naxos

Duchy of Naxos

[ Aug.2013 ] I did not know that there used to be a country called Duchy of Naxos situated in current Greece.

It was apparently started by a Venetian aristocrat, Marco Sanudo around the time of the 4th crusade.

He put his headquarters in Naxos and governed other islands around here.

The duchy lasted more than 350 years.

Venetians were Cathorics, but they did not force the islanders to change their religion, so Catholic and Orthodox churches coexisted.

The captal of the duchy was Kastro which is the old part of Hora, the largest town in Naxos.

This was another town like a maze, which was on a small hill.

When we walked around here without any plan, sometimes we came across fashionable art galleries.

There was a museum of an old Venetian house and we learned that they organized a small concert at night.

We bought the ticket but we were not sure if we could come back here following the maze- like streets.