Nea Fokea Tower

In Nea Fokea village the most impressive sightseeing you can visit is Saint Paul byzantine tower - castle. The view from the area is breathtaking, as the tower is built on a hill beside Nea Fokea marina. Near the tower there is an interesting small church, which will impress you with its simplicity and devout atmosphere. The tower is lighted at night and creates a beautiful landscape combined with the surroundings.

The tower was built of stone in 1407, as a byzantine fortress, that guarded the big dependency of homonymous Mount Athos abbey. Its height is 17 meters. it also served as the headquarters of Emmanuel Papas, leader of the Greek War of Independence, in the uprising of 1821. In this period the tower was set on fire and in 1976 its roof was reconstructed.

It is said that the tower is connected secretly from the underground with the Tower of Sani village, to create escape exits for emperors or to facilitate their meetings. When the enemies were coming through the sea, the 2 guardians exchanged messages of fire and as a result residents managed to hide.

Beside the tower of N. Fokea there is the small church of 12 Apostles. It was built in 1868 in Saint Paul's dependency. This church was the first parish church of greek "mikrasiates" refuges. Another building in the eastern side of the hill was used as a school by refugees, known as the "Old School". Today it operates as a cultural site. In the summer period it hosts many exhibitions and events.

During the summer period many cultural events take place in N. Fokea tower, within the framework of Kassandra Festival.