Islet of Souda

The islet of Souda is located at the entrance of the bay of Souda harbor in Chania. On this islet stood originally only the church of St. Nicholas and therefore it was called Fraronisi, as Fraroi or Floroi are the Catholic monks.

On the islet of Souda lies the Fortezza, the Venetian fortress built in 1571 AD in order to provide the Venetians with the control of the entrance of the bay. The armament of the fort in 1630 was 44 cannons of various calibers and 9,185 bales, with walls surrounding its whole area. A small door between the two bastions of the fort led to the lower part of the island of Souda, with the cemetery and a tank.

On the eastern side were the barracks and in front of them were three tanks, warehouses, the garden and the church of Our Lady La Madonnina, while the fortress gate is located on the southwestern side.

Northwest of the islet of Souda another small, almost round island, Leo, is referred in the Venetian maps as “Rabbit Island”. In antiquity both of two islets were called Levke.

Visitors can come to the islet of Souda only twice a week. You will find the most reliable information on the itineraries of the boats in the port, as they change constantly.