Agios Ioannis Theologos

Panaghia Tourliani
In Klimatovouni (a hill over Klima), you will see the church of Panaghia Tourliani. Apart from the  extremely old church icons, it is worth visiting it because of its magic view of the upper villages in the island and also of the entrance  to Adamantas bay. You can rest in its hospitable yard at the time of the sunset so as to enjoy its breathtaking colors.

Trypiti is a traditional, well-preserved settlement, almost united with Plaka, built amphitheatrically on the ruins of the classic city of Klima.
Its name originates from its soft volcanic stones that looked as if they were drilled just like many holes that are carved on the rock upon which it is built.

The Church of Saint Nikolaos dominates in the center of the village, whereas in this village unique, scenic windmills are preserved that in old times were used for the grinding of cereals and nowadays most of them have been turned into rooms to let.

In Trypiti you can enjoy the panoramic view to the Adamantas bay and also gastronomic dishes at the snack-bars and restaurants of the village. In a nearby distance you can visit the Catacombs and the Ancient Theater even on foot.

Saint George’s church is the central church of the village of Pera Triovasalos. If you visit it, it is worth observing the marble plate overlooking the entrance of the church depicting Saint George riding his horse, its marble icon screen and the mosaic by the folklore artist Petros Rapanakis which is in the church yard.

When you visit the church of Saint Spyridonas or the church of Saint George on Easter Sunday, you can watch the ‘’burning of Judas”, a custom dated from the early Christian times and which is revived until the present day. This custom is combined also with the custom of “baroutiou-gun powder” as the young people of the two villages, of Triovasalos and Pera Triovasalos, throw dynamites in a space between the two churches, each one contesting for the title of the winner. The winner is the village that will make most of the noise and that will blow up most of the dynamite.

Plakes, the small village with the white houses and alleys, is situated between Plaka and Triovasalos. It was built at the foot of the Castle and is name originated from the fact that the region was level (“Plakes” means straightening). Should you go to Plakes, you can visit the island’s church dedicated to Saint Haralabos, where you will see the icon of Panaghia Akradiotissa, one of the island’s oldest icons. Finally, from Plakes you can go easily and quickly to the amazing beach of Plathiena.
 
 

Messa Panaghia or Panaghia Skiniotissa
On the top of the Castle, there is the small arched church of Panaghia Skiniotissa or Messa Panaghia. Today, the church building is preserved in a very good condition, as it is a postwar building. The older chapel was blown up during the German occupation so that an anti-aircraft cantilever would be built in its place and thus the church was rebuilt after 1944.

It is said that the church was named “Skiniotissa” after the icon of the Virgin Mary (Panaghia) that was found on a lentisk (skino in Greek), on the top of the Castle.

Saint Haralampos
On the foot of Plaka, in the village called Plaka, stands the fourth biggest church of the island, the church of Saint Haralampos. It was built in 1853 (in the place of an old chapel), thanks to the efforts and the donations of the few villagers.

In the church you can see modern frescos (the fresco of Pantocrator in the dome, the fresco of Saint Haralampos in the left side and in the opposite side the fresco of Saint Vlasios) and many interesting icons such as the one of the Archangel Michael, of Jesus Christ, of Saint John the Baptist, of the Lady of the Angels, of Saint Jacob, of Saint Catherine and of the Virgin Mary of Akradiotissa, which the oldest icon of the village. This is an icon of a great value and it has been transferred from the ruined monastery that existed in Mikri Akradia.

The great hagiographer Fotis Kontoglou said about the icon of Panaghia Akradiotissa: “It is painted on a oblong board, hollow like a skiff, as in the most ancient icons. The head of the Virgin Mary is standing up, just like in the other old icons of “Panaghia Odigitria” (i.e. the Virgin Mary leading us, the Leader), and the head of our Lord Jesus Christ is seen from the side. The eyes, the nose, the mouth are indicated with siena a bit darker than proplasmos. The soft light is put with loose and fleeting strokes of brush, just like in ancient letters, whereas in the newest icons the lightened parts have been worked with straight lines, the one next to the other, painted carefully. The proplasmos is red siena , the look of the Virgin Mary seems old and unsmiling, totally different from the usual type of “Panaghia Odigitria”.

Triovasalos and Pera Triovasalos

Setting out from the port and before we reach Plaka, the first villages we find are Triovasalos and Pera Triovasalos.
These two almost continuing villages have been created on two neighboring hills, they are densely populated and amphitheatrically built, whereas they have a considerable commercial activity. In Triovasalos, ‘’Karavodromos’’ constitutes the island’s focal point, where banks, public services, cafeterias and commercial shops are located. Lastly, in Triovasalos and in Pera Triovasalos, you can visit the two significant churches of these villages: the church of Saint Spryindon and the church of Saint Georgerespectively.

Cemetery of the upper villages
In Triovasalos, on the road leading to Plaka, you will see a cemetery of a special architecture; it is the cemetery of the upper villages: of Plaka, Plakon, Trivasalos, Pera Triovasalos and Trypiti. This cemetery is of a very original architecture, as its tombs are shaped like a small church.

The catacombs are situated near Trypiti village, in caves of 150meters above the surface of the sea.
In 2009, the Holy Synod proclaimed Milos a sacred island, because the Catacombs constitute the most ancient monument of Christianity. It was the first gathering place of the first Christians and they were used as a municipal cemetery for the first time in the end of the 2ndcentury BC. The Catacombs of Milos are of a unique size in the entire of Greece and one of the most famous and remarkable Christian world monuments next to the catacombs of Rome and of the Holy Land.

This labyrinthine complex is composed of three big-initially separate-subterranean colonnades (A,B,C) carved in the porous volcanic stone, five corridors and one rectangular burial chamber in the form of cubicula in the Roman Catacombs. Each Catacomb is of a different width (1-5meters) and a different height (1,60-2,50meters). Its total length is 185metres and today 126 “arkosolia” (carved arched tombs) are preserved in the inner sides of the colonnades. The “arkosolia” were decorated with colors (red fascia on the crown and dark blue color on the spandrel’s surface), but today only  scare traces  of their colorful decor are preserved.

The Catacombs’ form today is due to some 20th century interventions, such  as the entrance to the burial chamber B and the passages uniting the three initially separate catacombs. Today you are allowed to visit only the colonnade B’, the Catacomb of the “Elders” as it is called, and to go around it on a wooden platform. In the left side of this catacomb, the only two-storeyed tomb of the Catacombs is preserved , as well as pieces of the most significant inscription with red capital letters written within a rectangular frame. In the center there is a rock, where most possibly one of the first bishops of the Melian Christian community had been buried and the first Christians used it as an Altar in their liturgies.

From the Catacombs that are non-open to visitors, Catacomb A (west from today’s central colonnade) is of a big width, it has a spacious burial chamber and it is characteristic for the double family tombs carved in its inner sides, whereas Catacomb B (east from today’s central colonnade) is only partially preserved and it is worth having a look at the traces of frescos in it (one of the few preserved early Christian frescos where branches with flowers and birds are depicted).
 
 

The Archaeological Museum of Milos is situated in Plaka and it is housed in a beautiful, neoclassic building by Ernst Ziller.
At the museum the following wonderful collections are exhibited:

A prehistoric collection from Fylakopi
A collection of sculptures and bas-reliefs
An obsidian collection
A collection of inscriptions
A true copy of Aphrodite de Milo rises in the Museum Entrance (Room A), which was made in the workshop of the Louvre Museum. In the left side of the room you can see glass-shown cases with blades, scales and obsidian exfoliates from Fylakopi, Nyhia and Demenegaki. Moreover, in the same room, you can see a large burial jar dated from the 6th century BC.

In the left room (Room B) you can see prehistoric objects dated from the 5th millennium till the end of the 2nd millennium BC. There, you can see glass-shown cases with archaeological findings from ancient Fylakopi, many pots with lilies painted on them , statuettes ,a tufa altar from Fylakopi’s sanctuary, a small collection of marble  early Cycladic statuettes  and the famous “Kyra of Fylakopi”.

In the small room behind the entrance (Room C) you can admire geometric, archaic, classic, Hellenistic and Roman works, plenty of coins, tools and handy objects.

Closing, reaching the room on the right of the entrance (Room D’), you  will see findings from the ancient town of Klima, plenty of sculptures dated form the Hellenistic and Roman period (a Hermaic statue of Marius Trofimos, a tomb bas-relief of a young man with his servant etc.), marble donations and tables of the archaic Melian alphabet (Thanks to the peak the Melians had reached in the historic period, they had developed their own “Melian alphabet” composed of  21 letters).
 
 

Saint Nikolaos
In the centre of Trypiti village stands the magnificent church of Saint Nikolaos.  In was built in 1888 in the spot of another smaller church, based on the designs of Saint Nikolaos church in Syros.

The decor of this church is rich and remarkable. You can see its marble icon screen (by the marble sculptor G. Kaparias from Tinos), lovely woodcuts, the old 17th century iconostasis, an iconostasis and a bishop’s throne by G. I. Laoutaris and an pulpit by Emmanuel Markantonis from Milos. Also, you can admire the great icons by Emmanuel Skordilis and by other artists of the Cretan School, which were brought from Palea Hora (the island’s medieval capital).

Also, it is worth mentioning that this church presents an architectural paradox, since due to lack of sufficient space, its length is smaller than its width.

Assumption of Virgin Mary or Aghios Haralampos
 

This church is located behind Adamantas port, on the village’s highest point. It was built by Cretan refugees in 1870 and it was named after the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Portaitissa (old cathedral of the island) and the church next to it, Saint Haralampos. These two churches were situated in the island’s old capital, Zefyria, from where the woodcut icon screen and the old icons of this magnificent church were transferred.

The church’s architecture is that of a three-aisled arched with a dome church and its dome is built on the semi-cylindrical vault of the middle aisle. In the churchyard you can admire a mosaic by Ioannis Kavroudakis, made of Melian pebbles, representing an eagle flying eastwards. On its lower part, between the dolphins, there is the emblem of the community of Adamantas .

In the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or church of Saint Haralampos (the locals call it “Saint Haralampos church”), you will see icons of Cretan-byzantine art from the destroyed churches of Zefyria, the woodcut icon screen and the precious icon of the Virgin Mary, covered with sheets of silver.

Triovasalos and Pera Triovasalos

Setting out from the port and before we reach Plaka, the first villages we find are Triovasalos and Pera Triovasalos.
These two almost continuing villages have been created on two neighboring hills, they are densely populated and amphitheatrically built, whereas they have a considerable commercial activity. In Triovasalos, ‘’Karavodromos’’ constitutes the island’s focal point, where banks, public services, cafeterias and commercial shops are located. Lastly, in Triovasalos and in Pera Triovasalos, you can visit the two significant churches of these villages: the church of Saint Spryindon and the church of Saint Georgerespectively.

The Castle was built in the 13th century on the hill of Prophitis Ilias, on the northwest edge of the island (today’s Plaka).
Nowadays it is not inhabited, but  its visitors can  admire a view of incomparable beauty of the entire island bay and of the magic sunset that is worth enjoying when you decide to climb all the way to the top. Also, ascending to the Castle, you will have the chance to see the church of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Panaghia Skiniotissa and the church of Panaghia Thalassitra.

This Venetian Castle was not surrounded by walls, as it was the case with most of the Cycladic castles, but it was protected by the houses. Practically, the castle was used to protect the local population against the attacks of pirates (a frequent phenomenon of the era), and also for the control of the ships’ movements in  Adamantas bay. On  its top, the “Mesa Kastro”, the Tower of the Governor was located, the so called Palace and around the tower there were a few houses. It was established by the first duke of Naxos, Marcus Sanoudos and in the Mesa Kastro there were mainly the residencies of the Duke’s manors and deputies, as well as of other relatives and  Franks.
 
 
 

Nowadays, Plaka is the island’s capital and it is also one of the most intact capitals of Cyclades.
Its name comes from the level ground upon which the houses of its first inhabitants were built, when the Castle (Kastro) could no longer house the entire population.

Built on a hillock of 220m above sea level, with the use of island colors and according to the Cycladic architecture, with picturesque tiled alleys originally built for the protection against pirates, with small traditional shops, restaurants and cafeterias and with a magical view to the bay of Milos, Plaka composes a scenery of infinite beauty that you must visit and explore. (The circulation of cars is forbidden).

On the hill top of Plaka lies the imposing Venetian “Castle” dated from the 13th century from where you can enjoy idyllic sunsets with beautiful colors and the panoramic view to the island’s bay, as well as to neighboring Cycladic islands. The Assumption of the Virgin or else “Mesa Panaghia” is the church to be found on the top of the Castle, whereas climbing up to the Castle and descending from it, you will find another exquisite church built on a black rock: The Ypapanti of Christ or Panaghia Thalassitra. Moreover, do not miss out to visit ‘’Panaghia Korfiatissa” which is the island’s cathedral from where you can enjoy a dreamy sunset right from its marble yard.

Lastly, in the traditional settlement of Plaka, you will find most of the public services and the two museums that preserve the island’s cultural heritage, meaning its archaeological and folklore heritage.

Ypapanti of Christ or Panaghia Thalassitra
 The church of Ypapanti of Christ or Panaghia Thalassitra is the patron saint of sailors and it is the most multi-photographed church of the island. It is located in one of the island’s nicest spots and you will see it on your way up to the Castle. This church used to be a chapel in 1739 which was demolished in 1839 so that this magnificent bigger church would be built instead, incorporating also as a south aisle the neighboring Frankish Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Panaghia Eleousa).

 In the church of Panaghia Thalassitra, you can see works of the 17th century made in the famous hagiographic workshop of the Skordilides, and specifically the important icons of Saint Eleftherios, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, painted by Emmanuel Skordilis. Also, you can admire the woodcut icon screen with its amazing cross, whereas in the lintel of the church’s west gate you can see the coat of arms of Krispi, who was the duke of Naxos.

The nearest beach to the port of Adamantas with clear waters and many tamarisks for natural shade. The big beach is yellow-white and it is organized.

Panaghia Faneromeni
Descending the road from Trypiti to the Catacombs, on your right hand you will see the chapel of Panaghia Faneromeni, in a wooded place full of cypresses. It is one of the most beautiful churches of the island, inside which there are two tombs with arches, whereas in its sanctuary you can see remnants of one of the most beautiful Melian churches, within which there are two tombs with arches and in its alter there are traces of frescos.

Saint Spyridonas (Aghios Spyridonas)
The church of Saint Spyridonas is the central church of the village Triovasalos and it is united with the church of Saint Marina. The church of Saint Spyridonas is very interesting as it is of a special architecture with four big arches. In it you will see icons from the ruined churches of the old Zefyria city, as well as the icon “The King of Kings” painted by the well-known hagiographer Skordilis.

When you visit the church of Saint Spyridonas or the church of Saint George on Easter Sunday, you can watch the ‘’burning of Judas”, a custom dated from the early Christian times and which is revived until the present day. This custom is combined also with the custom of “baroutiou-gun powder” as the young people of the two villages, of Triovasalos and Pera Triovasalos, throw dynamites in a space between the two churches, each one contesting for the title of the winner. The winner is the village that will make most of the noise and that will blow up most of the dynamite.