St. Andrew's Castle, Castle in Preveza, Greece

St. Andrew's Castle is the largest of the six surviving castles of Preveza. The Ottomans built it in 1702 as a large square earthwork with stone bastions at the four corners, surrounded by a defensive ditch on the south, west and north sides. In 1718–1797 the Venetians halved its area, faced the earth walls with stone and added a fifth bastion on the west side.

St. Andrew's Castle was built in three phases. The Ottomans erected a square earthen fort with stone bastions in 1702, after receiving Preveza from Venice in 1701. During the second Venetian period (1718–1797) the fort was halved in size, its walls faced with stone, and a fifth bastion added. Ali Pasha expanded it with an outer enclosure in 1807–1808, completed under the architect Petros of Korçë.

The castle's name comes from a Catholic church dedicated to Saint Andrew, created inside the Ottoman mosque in honour of Venetian admiral Andrea Pisani (1662–1718). In 1807–1808 Ali Pasha turned that church into a powder magazine and built a large mosque on the site of the Orthodox church of Saint Andrew. Since 1956 a nave of Saint Andrew has occupied a room in the northeast bastion.

The site sits on a hill with good walking paths and viewpoints that you can explore on foot. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since there are steps and uneven ground throughout.

The third building phase was overseen by Petros from Korçë, Ali Pasha's Christian architect, during works of 1807–1808. A marble inscription on the southeast bastion, in old Ottoman script, gives the Hijri year 1223 (February 1808–February 1809) and the wish Masha' Allah.