Visitors of Gaios can admire the small but all green island of Saint Nicholas, which is right in front of the Gaios port creating a kind of canal between them and is approximately 150.000 square meters large. Ninety percent (90%) of it belongs to the state and to the Paxos Municipality, a part of it belongs to the Monastery of Panagia (Virgin Mary) –which is located on another small island just off the St. Nicholas one – and the rest is formed by private properties.
Forty five (45m.) meters above sea level one can nowadays get a glimpse of the castle, built in 1423 by Baron Adam the Second () San Ippolito in order to protect the local inhabitants from the pirates after he received permission by the Venetian Senate on the 13nth of June 1423 (Sathas Monumenta Historiae Hellenicae vol.III p.249). T he engraving of the arch above the fortress gate shows the year 1510 as the finishing date.
In 1484 the Baron’s land became property of the Venetian State, which in 1513 was sold to the Corfiat family of Ioannis Avramis for 3600 ducats. The Avramis family imposed such high taxation to the Paxiots, that many locals were forced to abandon the island for Turkey and the uninhabited islands in the northwestern part of the Ionian Sea (Othoni, Erikousa ,Mathraki).
Originally the fortress had a round shape and its entrance was on the north east side, where later the Kouvalias mill was built. Its external part was rebuilt in 1510 in its today’s shape with plans drawn by Leonardo da Vintsi , which were discovered in the venetian archives by the architect Roberto Veneri , who is a house owner on Paxos and a special friend of our island.
According to those plans the fortress’s space diminished, the entrance gate was moved to the northwest side of St. Nicholas Island and a plauteau was uncovered in front of that new gate. This plateau seems to be reminiscent of the ancient Greek structure. Parts of the ancient Greek wall are still visible at certain less overgrown spots. Different material was used for this wall and it clearly looks older. It seems that the Venetian conquerors coming to Agios Nicholaos adapted the Greek structure as a result of their contact of applying the most economical measures.
Once within the fortress walls, bearing in mind architect Veneri’s detailed research one has the view of a wide courtyard, surrounded by a short circular wall. To the left and to the right along the fortress wall are the two – story huts. These served as barracks for the soldiers, with the shooting taking place from the second story down onto the defenders. In the center of the courtyard there is a round cistern to the left and a rectangular on the right, from where the soldiers took fresh water. Across from the gate there are three ramps leading up to the short circular wall, onto which the Venetians pushed up their massive cannons.
The two turrets on each side of the circular wall, just where the old wall melts into the Venetian wall are of uncertain origin. One was definitely used as a prison, as the far side of it shows the remains of a latrine. The other is located beneath the level height of the plateau, with a few steps leading down towards it and the hut in front. The docking place below is visible from exactly this point. The path leading up towards the fortress takes its last dramatic turn just below. Historical documents by Archduke Ludwig Salvator mention the turret being used as an ammunition depot. The water supply, though suggests that it was used as an animal pen. In the ancient Greek structure these two turrets were gates into the village, which the Venetian conquerors bricked up for security reasons. A third access gate can be found walled up and hidden in the southern part of the circular wall.
When in 1537 the whole area was under Turkish siege, Corfu and Paxos were nearly deserted. No more than 500 people remained on Paxos. The island went through the same disaster in 1571, when the Turkish fleet under the commands of the brutal admiral Lutsali looted the island, killing the few remaining inhabitants and burning everything down.
In 1797 the Venetians decided to surrender the Ionian Islands after 411 years of firm ruling to the French Republic, who ruled in the area for two (2) years.
During the historic period: “The Ionian State” between 1800 and 1807 a Russian Guard was situated in the St. Nicholas fortress under the command of sublieutanant Arbamenkof.
During the French rule the fortress’s condition had deteriorated and the inhabitants of Gaios and Ozias were forced to fix it in 1808.
In 1810 the Paxiots rebelled against the French, but the help they expected from the English never came and they were forced into labor to further renovate the fortress as a punishment. Fifty four (54) members of the rebel party were sent to trial, nineteen (19) of them were shipped to Corfu, judged and convicted seven of them were finally executed.
The fortification works were completed in November 1810. During the same year the fortress’s interior was bettered and that is when the ramps were built to enable pushing cannons up the fort’s walls.
Today the fort is in a quite good condition. Especially the space considered to be the ammunition depot and the venetian water reservoir are still in excellent condition, the English reservoir suffers today only small damages, the watch tower (guardiola) and the barracks are roofless and cannons are still standing on the battlements.
In 1814 Kolokotronis – one of the most important personalities of the Greek Revolution against the Turks in 1821 – a major of the English army at the time landed with an English party off Planos beach in the village of Lakka in the northern part of Paxos and managed to take the St. Nikolas fort. The English garrison remained in the fort until 1864, when the island of Paxos was officially returned to the Greek State along with the other Ionian Islands.
The fort remained without a garrison ever since then and its canons sounded only during national days and religious processions. Unfortunately in 1943 the Italian troops – while retreating – took the little English canons away with them.
Between 1940 and 1941 the locals watched out for Italian bombers from the St. Nicolas fort and warned their fellow islanders in time for them to hide inside shelters. In the early 1930’s the St. Nicolas island was planted with new pine trees by school children, who brought to life an idea belonging to Nikos Boikos (Bitsitsis).
Nowadays the island is characterized as a place of exceptional natural beauty and access to it is prohibited to the general public. Reaching it is only possible by chartering a boat and shipping across the canal, 40 meters wide. The docking place dates back to the Venetian times with big flat stones paving it. The path leading up the hill to the fortress is stony and leads through dens e vegetation of the above mentioned pine trees and bush.
A program to turn the fortress and the whole island into a touristic site, worthwhile a visit not only by tourists but by locals as well – considering that until now no one could visit the island without a special permit from the Town Hall, in order to avoid the danger of fire in the pine – forest is currently under way. The program includes the clearing and signing of the foot paths inside the forest, the installation of a fire – protection system, restoration works on the fort and in general all maintenance works necessary so as to render it accessible to everyone wishing not only to enjoy its natural beauty and the wonderful view from its walls but also to get to really know the place, where part of Paxos history was actually written.
