When the Greek War of Independence was declared in 1821, the men of Kastellorizo were amongst the first ones to offer their vessels for fire ships and to throw themselves into the war.
When Greece became independent after the successful uprising of 1821, it was believed that the Dodecanese would also be freed from the Turks. The London Protocol (1830) however, provided that the Dodecanese be placed under Turkish rule again. Kastellorizo resigned to its fate but did not lose its naval vitality. On the contrary, it not only prospered in merchant and shipping business, but also made a remarkable progress in literature, etc. It was then that famous schools were founded, such as the Sandrapeia School of the benefactor Lucas Sandrapes where literacy and education were given to many generations. Magnificent churches were built, with rich iconography and sumptuous icon screens, such as the cathedral of St. Constantine and St. Helen, of St. George Lucas, of St. George Pegadiotis and some smaller ones, as well as plenty of monasteries.
Kastellorizo then had a population of about 12-14,000. In March 1913, the inhabitants managed to free themselves from the Turks but not for long because 3 years later the French seize the island to give it over to Italy in 1920.
From that fateful and dark moment onwards, the noble island was plunged into mourning and grief. Its great cultural progress as well as its shipping and trade declined and its inhabitants started to expatriate leaving a population of barely 2,000 on the island.
The island started suffering from the consequent dominion of the British and the Italians until 1943 when German airplanes started bombarding the island causing its total destruction and its few inhabitants to leave their island and find refuge in Palestine.
Kastellorizo stayed under British dominion like all other Dodecanese islands until the 7th of March 1947, when it was annexed to Greece and remains Greek since then.

Worth Seeing
Apart from its glorious past, Kastellorizo has also many sights worth visiting.
The castle of the order of St. John: It was built in the 14th century on the edge of a small slope right above the port, on a reddish rock (Castello Rosso) from which the island got its name. Today, only parts of its exterior walls and towers are still intact.
Monastery of Saint George "tou Vounou" (of the mountain): Having walked along the cobbled lanes of the port, it is worth walking up the 401 steps that lead to the monastery of St. George Tau Vounou. It is situated in the area of Palaiokastro and huge natural stones surround it. Inside the monastery there is a catacomb, Saint Charalambos.
Palaiokastro: On the western side of Kastellorizo is the most ancient and important sight of the island Palaiokastro. It is an ancient settlement with a lot of remains of buildings and water cisterns. On its Doric Acropolis of the 3rd century B.C. there is an inscription that mentions the name of Megisti. In the area, in the location of Limenari, there are I remains of the Cyclopian Walls.
Stone-hewed Lycean tomb: It is a perfectly preserved tomb of the 4th century B.C. hewed in the stone at the foot of the Castle. It is worth mentioning that Lyceans was the name given to the inhabitants of Asia Minor because they worshipped "Apollo Lycios" where "Lycios" stands for the Greek word "wolf".
Archaeological Museum: It is located close to the remains of the castle and it has exhibits of great value from different periods of time as well as objects of folk art. Do not miss to visit it.
Cathedral of St. Constantine and St. Helen (1835): In the most prominent location of the island right above Mandraki the metropolitan temple of the patron saints of the island Constantine and Helen dominates.
It is a brilliant religious and architectural jewel, closely related with the social and cultural life of Kastellorizo, from its foundation until nowadays. It is a church of unique art, with a three-nave basilica, rich icons, marble icons screens and tall marble bell tower.
The roof of the Cathedral lies on twelve enormous~ monolithic granite pillars, brought especially from Patara (Lycea) in 1835, when the historic cathedral was built. According to tradition, these pillars are from the ancient Temple of Pythius Apollo.
Blue Cave: The famous aqua colored cave of Kastellorizo is one of the rarest geological phenomena and one of the most amazing formations on earth; Kastellorizo is worth visiting just for this cave.
Also known under the name of "Parastas Cave" or "Fokiali" due to the seals (fokia in Greek) that live inside it. It is the largest and most beautiful caves of Greece while it is also considered to be the most phantasmagoric cave of the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated on the south of the island, it is 75m long (inside), 40m wide and 35m high, and the entrance has the height of a small boat that can just pass through the mouth when the sea is calm at dawn.
The calm waters of the cave look like an immense blue-green mirror with plenty of iridescence, which seems to illuminate this enormous fairy-like palace, with its numerous stalactites.
Ro islet: Located on the SW side of the island is the islet of Ro that you can only visit by boat. Well known for its 'Lady of Ro" who was its only inhabitant, and who for decades rose the Greek flag every morning.
Still, you may visit the islet of Stroggili on which is the nautical lighthouse. The island's only inhabitants are its lighthouse keepers. Both islets (Ro and Stroggili) offer crystal clear waters and are ideal for a swim.
At last, the visitor should know that Kastellorizo has many important feasts and celebrations. The most important one is on July 19, on the day before the celebration of Prophet Elija. On this day the locals dive into the waters in honor of the saint.
Also, on the 13th of September there are celebrations for the Day of Independence of the island.

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