Agia Mavra Fortress, Fortress ruins on the island of Lefkada, Greece

Agia Mavra Fortress is a medieval fortress ruin at the entrance to the island of Lefkada in Greece, sitting right beside the bridge that connects the island to the mainland. The site has eight bastions, a perimeter wall nearly a kilometer long, and a moat that once surrounded the structure on multiple sides.

The fortress was built in the early 14th century by the Frankish lord Giovanni Orsini, who received Lefkada as a wedding gift. Over the following centuries it passed through the hands of the Venetians, Ottomans, French, Russians, and British before the island joined Greece in 1864.

Inside the fortress stands a small church dedicated to Saint Mavra, which gave the whole site its name. Twice a year, in May and September, locals gather there to celebrate a feast in honor of the saint, a tradition that still draws the community together.

The site is open Tuesday through Sunday in the mornings, so it fits well into a half-day trip from Lefkada town. The grounds are mostly flat and easy to walk, though some sections along the walls may have uneven terrain.

A lighthouse on the western bastion still stands today, even though most of the buildings inside the walls were torn down in the 20th century. One of the walls also bears a carved Venetian Lion of Saint Mark, the only decorative element from that period still visible on site.