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History

On this page you will find all the articles about the history of the island of Naxos and the sights and monuments that give us insights into the different eras.

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The Venetian fortress Apano Kastro

In addition to the Venetian castle in the Chóra of Naxos, there is a second Venetian fortress on the island: the Apáno Kástro near Tsikalarió. It is located on a steep hill between the valley of Pota…

The Hellenistic tower of Chimarrou

South of Filóti, on the road to Kalandós, one can visit an interesting ancient tower from the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC). It lies at 340 m altitude on the low hills southwest of mount Zeus…

The Temple of Demeter

The Temple of Demeter at Sangrí is one of Naxos’ main attractions. The temple, which dates back to the Archaic epoch, is small in size, but of great significance for the development of Greek temple a…

Agios Georgios and Agios Pachomios near Apiranthos

In the valley south of Apíranthos, close to the hiking trail that leads to Danakós, lie two old Byzantine churches from the 10th century with interesting murals. Agios Georgios, the larger of the tw…

Panagia Chrysopigi near Apiranthos

On a ridge named Korakiá south of Apíranthos lies a tiny church called Panagía Chrysopigí. It is a unique, very unusual building. The archaeologist Georgios Mastoropoulos concludes from the smallness…

The Minoan epoch

Die minoische Epoche Um 2000 v. Chr. nahm die charakteristische Kykladenkultur (3. Jahrtausend v. Chr.) ein Ende und die Minoer übernahmen in der Ägäis die Vorherrschaft. Entsprechend wird die nun b…

Agios Artemios near Kinidaros

South of mount Kóronos, from the village of Keramotí to Engarés on the coast, lies one of the steepest and deepest valleys on the island of Naxos. The valley is unusually rich in water: the most impo…

The Venetian Castro in the Chora

The harbour town of Naxos, Chora, is crowned by the Venetian Castro, which covers a rather small area, but (according to the Naxos guide from Müller-Verlag) it is the only Venetian castle outside Ita…

Dionysus and the island of Naxos

The following text is a revised and supplemented extract from my book “Zwei Türen hat das Leben” (=”The two doors of Life”). The origin of the cult of Dionysus The philhellenic historians of the last…

Naxos under the Venetians

IIn 1204, during the 4th Crusade, the Franks and Venetians conquered Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, because the Emperor of Byzantium, who had called them to support him agains h…

The Chora

Unfortunately there is yet no translation available for this page as well as for descriptions of the hiking tours you find under the links below. Maybe try to translate the page with Google translat…

The Portara and the Temple of Apollon in the Chora

The best known symbol of the island of Naxos is the gigantic ancient portal of the Temple of Apollo in Naxos-Town, the Portára. It stands conspiciously on a small island “Palátia” that is connected b…

Agia Kyriaki near Apiranthos

A particularly interesting Byzantine monument is the small church of Ágia Kyriakí north of Apiranthos. It dates from the 9th century AD, the time of the iconoclasm. Fortunately, in recent years the b…

The Kouroi of Flerio near Melanes

Close to the village of Mélanes lies a hill with marble of high quality that has been quarried since antiquity. The marble was used for the construction of buildings as well as for statues. Not too f…

The sanctuary at Flerio near Melanes

Near the well-known Koúros of Flerió (Mélanes) an ancient sanctuary has been excavated, in which the patron gods of the marble quarry and the nearby springs were worshiped. It is one of the oldest sa…

Zum Wehrkloster Fotodotis und nach Danakos

Die Rundwanderung über das Kloster Fotodótis und das kleine Bergdorf Danakós startet auf dem Pass, den man überquert, wenn man von Filóti kommend nach Danakós fährt. Genau auf dem Pass liegt die klei…

“Aphrodite von Azalas” vom Schweizer Bildhauer René Küng

Das Jahr 2009 hat für uns noch etwas ganz Unerwartetes gebracht: Der Schweizer Bildhauer René Küng hat hier in Azalas ein Kunstwerk angefertigt und aufgestellt, die Marmorskulptur “Aphrodite von Azal…

Agios Nikolaos at the Troullo near Komiaki

The small but intersting Byzantine church of Agios Nikolaos Troullos is located below the road from Skadhó to Komiakí, the northernmost of the mountain villages of Naxos. Komiakí lies on the edge of…

The Byzantine fortress of Apalirou

The most important Byzantine fortress of Naxos is located in the southwest of the island between the small village of Sangrí and the bay of Agiassós. The large castle complex occupies the top of the…

The Temple of Dionysus in Iria near the Chora

The area around the capital of the island of Naxos, Chóra, has been inhabited for millennia. Excavations show that from the Early Bronze Age (Cycladic culture) on a significant settlement (excavation…

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