The curtain wall (600m long) of St George's Castle is reinforced with three bastions and encloses a 13C keep. Until 1757 the kástro (citadel) was the capital of the island with 15 000 inhabitants, but was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1636. Among the ruins beneath the pine trees are traces of St George's collegiate church. The castle stands on a height (320m) overlooking the fertile Livathó Plain, Lixoúri Peninsula and the island of Zakynthos to the south.