This impressive tower on Aegina is named after Spyridon Markellos, fighter of the Revolution of 1821, and member of the Filiki Society. Local tradition says that he built the tower himself in 1802, but the building’s Venetian architecture is more indicative of a 17th-century watchtower.

During the revolution, the building hosted Greek and foreign activists and politicians. Between 1826 and 1828 the tower functioned as the seat of government and later, under the rule of Kapodistrias, housed a number of ministers and the State Treasury.

Today the tower belongs to the Municipality of Aegina and is home of the island’s Kapodistrian Cultural Centre. It also hosts a variety of painting exhibitions, lectures and other cultural events, as well as the Spyros Alexiou Social Awareness Centre.