At the beginning of the 20th century, the castle became obsolete as a defensive structure due to the rapid progress in firearm technology. Nevertheless, its premises continued to be intermittently utilized for another 50 years. From 1912 to 1913, during the First Balkan War, the castle was repurposed by the alliance of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro as a prison for the confinement of Turkish prisoners of war.
In 1922, with the Government Gazette Issue FEK 28/A/26-2-1922, the castle is declared a «preeminent Byzantine monument».
In the same year, 5,690 refugees arrived in Lefkada due to the Turkish army’s occupation of Greek territories on the shores of Asia Minor.
The shortage of accommodations for their hospitality compelled local authorities to use the castle buildings for their housing, where they remained for several years until their final departure in 1932.
From 1924 to 1937, the flat open space defined by the British prisons, the church of the Holy Savior, and the barracks was used by the island’s sports clubs as a field for football matches. The building of the British prisons was converted into locker rooms for the athletes. The dissemination of football on the island was led by the refugees, who were more familiar with the sport, having practiced it in their lost homelands, playing with the British.
In 1938, despite the castle’s designation as an archaeological site, during Ioannis Metaxa’s dictatorial regime, a decision was made to sell off the building materials, in order to raise funds for the Army Pension Fund. This decision led to additional damage to the site’s monuments.
The destruction is particularly noticeable today in the surviving buildings from the British rule period, as materials were easily removed from them.
None of these structures retains the upper floor and roof; only the ground floor remains.
