Paleokastritsa Monastery, Orthodox monastery in Palaiokastritsa, Greece

Paleokastritsa Monastery is a walled Orthodox complex on a hillside above the bay of Palaiokastritsa on Corfu. Its whitewashed buildings cluster around a courtyard, with the katholikon church and smaller chapels among the monks' quarters. A pale yellow bell gable with three arched openings and green bronze bells rises above a white ledge, and vines and foliage grow around its base and along the wall beside it.

Paleokastritsa Monastery was founded in 1228, according to the tradition recorded at the site. During the Venetian rule of Corfu the complex was repeatedly altered, and a major rebuilding in the 18th century gave it the core structures still standing today.

The monastery is dedicated to the Panagia Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, and its name links it to the old fortress site of Paleokastritsa. Visitors can see the venerated Byzantine icons kept in its chapels, among them a much-revered image of the Virgin. Monks still live and worship here, and the small museum holds liturgical objects and manuscripts.

The monastery sits above Palaiokastritsa bay, reached by a paved path that climbs past a small parking area and ends in stone steps at the gate. The climb is short but steep and mostly unshaded at midday. Shoulders and knees should be covered inside the church and courtyard, which remain in monastic use.

The monastery holds a small museum whose display includes an old olive press the monks once worked by hand, alongside liturgical objects and icons. It shows how the community combined worship with farming the slopes around Palaiokastritsa. Look for it among the rooms off the main courtyard.