Patras Castle to host storytelling event for European Heritage Days 2026

As part of the European Heritage Days 2026, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Achaia will host a musical storytelling event at the Venetian bastion of Patras Castle on September 26, 2026. The event, themed ‘Heritage at Risk: Revival, Resilience, Reflection’, will take place during a full moon.

The program features two historical narratives focused on the preservation of cultural identity. The first section tells the story of Aeneas, the Trojan hero, emphasizing his decision to save his father, Anchises, as a symbol of preserving ancestral and religious heritage during the flight from Troy.

The second narrative follows Thomas Palaiologos, the last Despot of the Morea, during his flight to Rome in the mid-15th century following the Ottoman conquest. It highlights his efforts to rescue the Relic of Saint Andrew, a vital element of Patras’s religious and cultural identity, which was eventually returned to the city in 1964.