Greece: Santorini - Emborio, Agios Nikolaos Marmaritis, Pyrgos, Panagea Episkopi, Megalochori

Emborio

Small church outside Kasteli.
Emborio, Santorini

Approaching Kasteli.
The tall walls with few windows below the bell tower mark the boundary.

The heart of this medieval village is Kasteli, the Venetian castle settlement, with narrow alleys and expanses of smooth unbroken walls, but the approaches are equally picturesque.

Some of the original outer walls of Kasteli formed from medieval homes.

The church of Palea Panagia inside Kasteli.

Kasteli was created when the island was under Venetian rule and the original single entrance to Kasteli is still called the Venetian Gate. Venetian rule lasted almost 3 centuries from the beginning of the 13th century until the Ottomans conquered the island in 1579. It was a turbulent time, the region was plagued by pirates, and the Venetians created five castle villages for protection. These were Emborio, Pyrgos, Akrotiri, Skaros Castle in what is now Imerovigli and Agios Nikolaos Castle in Oia.

Just outside the Venetian Gate, once the only entrance to Kasteli, with part of the original walls on the left.

The homes were built around a hilltop and had no windows so that they formed a wall around the village for protection. As the threat of attack lessened, the inhabitants built doors and windows into the walls.

Bell tower of Palea Panagia.

Inside Kasteli.
Emborio, Santorini

Agios Nikolaos Marmaritis

On the road to Emborio from the north west, just outside the village, is the tiny chapel of Agios Nikolaos Marmaritis. It's very difficult to spot and we had to make a couple of passes before we saw it. It isn't open to the public.

The chapel, constructed with large grey ashlared marble blocks, began life as the ancient shrine of the goddess Basilea in the 3rd century BC and measures only 3m x 4.5m. It is entirely preserved, including the roof.

Pyrgos

The church is Christos (Metamorfosi Tou Sotiros) - the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour. It has an octagonal cupola, the only one on the island.

Pyrgos, is the island's highest village. Though at 350m above sea level this still isn't very high, it is high enough for fine views over the island and out to sea.

View north across the island from Pyrgos.

View south-west across the island from Pyrgos.

Venetian walls of the castle.
The curved vault against the sky is the church of Saint Jacob.

In Venetian times this was one of the five fortified settlements with a small castle, built, like Emborio's, surrounded by a wall of houses. During the Ottoman occupation Pyrgos became the island's capital.

Agia Theodosia outside the entrance of the castle.

The original church was built in 1639 and devastated by the earthquake of 1956. This church was built to replace it in 1965.¹

Venetian walls of the castle.

Agios Nikolaos founded in 1660.¹
The alley on the left is the boundary of the castle and the buildings were once part of the original Venetian walls of the castle.

Behind, again, the Venetian walls of the castle.
Pyrgos, Santorini

Panagea Episkopi

This lovely church, in a peaceful setting, is one of the island's oldest. Commissioned by a Byzantine emperor in 1115 it was, for a time, the island's cathedral.

It stands on the site of an even more ancient shrine, elements of which have been incorporated within the church, including pillars and their capitals.